Orange
by Soranaru
Summary: Deidara, a teenage female ex-ninja is forced to join the Akatsuki. And her partner is...a puppet!
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Otonashi

**Hey everyone! This is my very first Deidara fanfic so I hope you all like it! Note, this is** _ **not**_ **a yaoi, I** _ **hate**_ **that! Dei-chan was born and raised a girl and Sasori no Danna was born and...created? a male puppet. Also, I love inserting Japanese phrases, so deal with that too.  
**

 **Me: Dei! Do the disclaimer for me!**

 **Deidara: No way! You're making me a girl in this story!**

 **Disclaimer: Fine then. I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, although it'd be super cool if I did.**

Chapter One: Welcome to Otonashi

I landed my clay bird near the edge of the forest, and it shrunk down in size. It jumped into my hand and I stuck it in my pocket before Migi(right) ate it.

My name is Deidara, ex-Iwagakure ninja, age 14. I'm not your ordinary ex-ninja, zenzen (not at all). I just finished blowing up some booming business factory down south. I'm sure no one saw me, but it didn't hurt to get as far away from the scene as possible. I just landed outside a tiny village called Otonashi (meek). Well, okay, it's not really that tiny, but smaller than I'm used to. "Okay Migi, Hidari, ikuzo!" I said, looking at my right and left hands respectively. Migi smiled at me but Hidari stuck out her tongue.

I stuck Hidari in my pocket and began to stroll towards the village. From the looks of it, it was a merchant town. As I passed, a bunch of guys stopped to stare at me, NOT unexpected. I stopped by a group of three girls. "Hi," I said. "Hi! I'm Megumi," said a particularly perky-looking girl with brown pigtails. "May I help you?" she asked. "I'm looking for a place to spend the night," I stated, carefully avoiding saying "un" (Yes, the wanted posters actually specify my speech patterns). The girl peered at me curiously and suddenly, her face lit up. "You're a ninja!" she exclaimed. Crap! I forgot to take off my forehead protector.

"Uh...yeah! I'm on my way to Amegakure, my village. You see, I just came back from a mission, and I'm too tired to make it back today," I said quickly, coming up with a lie on the spot. I shook my head; letting most of my hair cover most of my forehead protector. Luckily for me, Megumi and her friends didn't seem to know what Amegakure's insignia looked like, or that the line across my forehead protector meant that I was an ex-nin.

"Wow!" the blue-haired girl next to Megumi said. "I would've loved to be a ninja! You're sooo lucky!" I decided not to say anything to that. I smirked. "Follow us!" the last girl, a redhead said. I let them lead me to the very outskirts of town. "Here we are!" the blue-haired girl named Kira said.

I looked up at the tall building. A sign said _Yado: Ichiban no Ichiban._ The best of the best? Puh-lease! "Arigatou," I said to Megumi, Kira and Akemi. "Pleased to help!" Megumi said. "Konbanwa!" they called as they left. I rolled my eyes at them and retreated into the forest in front of the "hotel". "Konbanwa? It's still noon!" I complained to Hidari. She snickered. I let my backpack drop to the floor and put my forehead protector in it. I took out a pink flowered kimono that the General I worked for gave me. Not my style, but it'd have to do. I quickly brushed my long golden hair and smoothed the dress.

Those girls were really idiots. That hotel was ninjas only. I needed an ID to get in, which I had, but if they found out I was Deidara, I was doomed.

Okay, you're confused. Lemme back it up a little. My name is Deidara, genius female artist-ninja from Iwagakure, who trained directly under the Third Tsuchikage Onoki of Both Scales. I possess the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai, and I was quite popular. However, I desired more. So I stole one of my village's kinjutsu which allows me to knead my chakra into substances. That's how I got three extra mouths.

Well, long story short, my ex-village tried to capture me, but I got away, giving them a spectacular presentation of my art, un. Heh, there's no way those idiots could've caught me anyway. So now, I go from place to place, blowing up stuff for whoever coughs up the money. But the last person I worked for only gave me this scratchy kimono. At that time, I only wanted to put my art to work, so I didn't really care. I probably should've thought about the fact that I blew all my money on clay. Seriously regretting it, but hey, all's well that ends well...eventually, un.

Since I had _not_ an ID card that wouldn't get me killed, nor enough money to bribe, I had two options: _seduce or destroy._

 **Yay! I'm done! It's short, I know. Just take it as a prologue or something. Oh yeah, I probably should've mentioned that it's Dei's point of view. I'll update as soon as possible (like, this weekend). And** _ **please**_ **review. I'm** _ **desperate**_ **to know what you think! I'm also up for a little constructive criticism. Jaane (later) for now!**


	2. Chapter 2: Katsu!

**I know, I'm two days late! Saturday was deemed "family day" by my parents (ie no electronic devices); I spent Sunday packing up for my family's trip (which is not as easy as it sounds; then I spent Monday babysitting my two baby cousins (AKA The Brat Squad). I practically had to** _ **beg**_ **Mommy-Dearest to let me use the laptop. These all sound like a bunch of excuses so….ON WITH THE STORY!**

Chapter Two: Katsu!

All prettied up, I strutted out of the forest, hiding my backpack in a tree with a camouflage jutsu. There was a bored-looking guy leaning against the wall of the building. I guessed he was security, namely, a pawn in my plan. I just had to remember not to smirk.

I stuck Migi into the clay pouch (okay, it was a purse that came with the kimono) stuck on my waist with a sparkly belt (also came with the kimono). After Migi worked the clay, I molded a long caterpillar **(A/N: Is it a caterpillar or a centipede?)** and it crawled to my back, fixing itself to my skirt. I would try to get that guy to let me in with my looks, but if that didn't work, "Yado" would experience my art firsthand, un!

I sashayed over to the boy. He looked about 15. I smiled at him. "Ko-nni-chi-wa!" I purred, batting my eyes at him. He blinked, as if surprised I was talking to him, and his face turned red. "Uh…um…hi," he managed. I had him! I walked closer, putting my acting skills to use, putting on a worried and helpless face.

"I-I'm Aoi," I said. "I'm Katsu," he stammered. I kept myself from laughing. How ironic.

"I need a place to stay. My caravan was attacked, and the thieves stole everything! They even killed my older brother! I can find my way home, but I need a place to stay, just for this night!" I said, inching closer to him until I was practically leaning on him. His face turned redder, and my caterpillar crawled up his arm, but he didn't notice. "I'm so sorry for you," he stuttered, looking as uncomfortable as he looked smitten. My caterpillar wrapped itself like a loose scarf around Katsu's neck, but he still didn't notice.

I took a step backward and twirled a blond lock around my finger, pouting with my eyes. My eyes are a gleaming icy blue, but to Katsu, they were probably _angel_ blue right now. "Can you help me get a room here?" I finally asked. "I don't think…" he started. "Oh, I'm sure you could do _something,_ " I moaned. "Not really, I'm just a-" "You can help me, can't you?" I pushed, coming close again. I traced a finger down his arm.

He gulped, and narrowed his eyes. "Wh-what are you doing?" he asked. "Asking a favor," I said innocently. "You said thieves attacked your brother, right?" I froze. "That's right," I murmured. "Your clothes are quite clean for someone who escaped from death's clutches." Oops! Forgot about that.

I chuckled. "You're a smart boy, un." Just then, my caterpillar tightened around his neck and he gasped. "Wanna know what's gonna happen?" I cooed. A clay spider fell from my purse. I held two fingers in front of my lips. "Katsu!" I yelled suddenly. The spider exploded. Katsu's eyes widened in fear. "Don't worry. I has nothing to do with your name," I assured him. "Now, if you don't want what happened to Spidey to happen to you, walk in there and get me a room! Now! Oh, and make up some excuse for the explosion."

He nodded and the caterpillar loosened, but did not leave his neck. He walked into the building like a robot. I jumped up to the roof, bouncing on each window ledge, and trust me, it ain't easy with a kimono!

I sat on the roof and waited for Katsu to come back. If he got scared, spilled the beans and came out with some authorities, they wouldn't see me.

I got bored waiting for him. He was probably trying to get the caterpillar off. I yawned and lay on my stomach. Finally, I saw the familiar spiky, black hair walk out and look around. "Aoi-chan!" Tch. Chan? I dropped a spider down, and it landed beside him. It would explode if it found anyone suspicious watching. It didn't, so I jumped down.

"Katsu-kun!" I purred. He flinched and shut his eyes tight. "Don't worry, it'll only explode when I want it to," I assured him. "Um, I got a room," he mumbled. "Great, un!" I said. I followed him into Yado. It was actually pretty. The walls were stainless **(A/N Stainless steel…lol!)** and the wooden floor was polished. He led me past the receptionist's desk up the stairs. He opened a door for me. "This is where you'll stay, just until tomorrow morning," Katsu said, not looking at me. "I've done what you said, so get rid of this thing!"

"Katsu-kun! You'll hurt its feelings,un!" I cooed. "Don't worry. I'll remove it…tomorrow! When I'm about to leave!"

Poor Katsu :p.

 **LOL, this is totally what I'd imagine Dei to act like if he was a girl! I may add a few stuff to her personality, but I'll keep the basic stuff (his loudmouth, idiotic and often crazy personality, which we all love ˄-˄!) Sorry, no Sasori, but he's coming.** _ **PLEASE**_ **review, reader-tachi (readers)! Remember, I actually posted this on two different sites just to know what y'all think! Will update ASAP!**

 **Have a wonderful rest of your life!**


	3. Chapter 3: To The Temple

**Here we go…**

Chapter Three: To The Temple

I woke up feeling artistic. Time for my next job! Oh wait…I don't have one yet. I peered down at Katsu sleeping on the floor beside my bed. Apparently, he'd told the manager that _he_ was staying in the room. If he left, well, he'd have a heck of a lot of explaining to do, un!

He was cute when he was sleeping. He looked so peaceful, giving off the feeling you get when you look at a painting of a sunrise, a work of art. And for it to become true art, he must disappear, for true art is fleeting. My caterpillar was still firmly attached to his shoulders. I raised two fingers to my lips…then sighing, I let them fall. There are other ways of creating true art; I could destroy this picture by simply waking him up.

I dropped to the floor beside him and turned so I was facing him. I took in as much air as possible and exhaled on his face ( **A/N: Ugh…morning breath!).** His eyebrow twitched but he didn't wake. Disappointed, I frowned. Then I leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. He still didn't wake up. "Are you a rock or something?" I stood up and jumped out the only window in the room. Heading into the forest surrounding Yado, I found the tree I left my backpack in. Releasing the camouflage jutsu, I headed back to my room.

Katsu was already awake when I jumped in through the window. He had a hand on his cheek and was, for some reason, blushing like crazy, un. "A-Aoi-chan!" he stuttered when he saw me, his blush deepening. I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Ohaiyou," he said, regaining himself. "Mornin'!" I replied. "You were awake, weren't you?" I asked. "Uh…" he stammered. I smirked.

I took a bath and changed into my normal attire: fishnet underwear, a loose, dark kimono shirt, loose ninja pants and sandals. I positioned myself on the window sill, ready to jump down. "Kai (release)!" I said, and my caterpillar fell down from Katsu's shoulders. He let out a sigh of relief. "Jaane (later)!" I said, abut to jump. "Wait!" Katsu said. I turned back to him.

"Where're you going now?" he asked. I narrowed my eyes. Did he plan to send people after me? Something in his face told me otherwise, so I relaxed slightly.

"Dunno!" I said, shrugging. "You could visit a temple at the edge of the forest!" he blurted. I looked at him quizzically. "I mean…there's a lot of art sculptures there. You might like it," he added, more quietly. Last night, I'd stayed up late talking to him about art. I hadn't thought he was listening, un. "You know what? I'm gonna take you up on that offer," I said, grinning. "Will you come back?" he asked. I smiled, warmer this time. "Probably not. But hey, it's a small world. We might meet again in the future, un." I cringed as I used that art-awful saying, but it seemed to calm the boy down.

 _"And I'm sorry for threatening you,"_ I wanted to say. But I'm Deidara. And Deidara does NOT apologize.

I smiled again and jumped down, landing effortlessly. I looked at Migi and Hidari. They both smiled at me. "I'm hungry," I told them. Hidari stuck out her tongue and Migi wiggled hers in agreement. I stuck Hidari into my pocket and brought out my clay bird. Setting it on the floor, it grew in size and I jumped on its back. It flapped its wings and rose into the air. I looked back and saw Katsu's head sticking out of the window of my (ex) room. I waved. He waved back.

I stood up on my bird and looked for the temple Katsu talked about. I didn't see anything. "Higher," I commanded. My bird flew up even higher, and the wind blew my hair into my face. "There it is!" I exclaimed, delighted. Speeding up, we zoomed towards the so-called temple. Even from the distance, I could tell it was a raggedy old building. I had to say though, the external architecture was amazing, un!

We landed softly outside the building. I looked up; it was taller than I expected, with stained-glass windows decorating the front. The door was large, and two women (maybe men?) with four faces and six arms sat in funky poses at both sides of the door. "Wow," I breathed. The sculptures were amazingly detailed; the creator must've been a genius, un! "But _my_ art is obviously better!" I said aloud.

My voice echoed softly. There were definitely more sculptures my art was better than inside. After all, every artist needs constructive criticism. Every artist, that is, except me. Excited, I rushed up the stairs and pushed the (golden?) doors open, my eyes twinkling in anticipation.

What I saw took my breath away. Three people stood in front of me, like they'd been waiting for me. "Welcome, Deidara," one of them said. "Took ya long enough!"

 **I'm sure everyone can guess who the three** _ **strangers**_ **are (lol). But can you guess who it was that spoke?**

 **I'm taking this as a mini filler chapter, so the next chapter is coming in a minimum of three days.**

 **Also,** _ **please review!**_ **Like Deidara says, every artist/writer needs constructive criticism, though I'm not sure I agree on the "except me" part of that statement ˄-˄. Jaane!**


	4. Chapter 4: Itachi of the Sharingan

**I love this part…**

Chapter Four: Itachi of the Sharingan

I eyed the three men suspiciously. They didn't look like authorities. How they knew my name was a mystery. The one on the far left was quite tall, with long, straight black hair in a ponytail. And _very_ easy on the eyes, un! The one on the far right was even taller, with a bandage-covered sword at his back and…blue skin?! What the heck-? Well, I seen weirder…like the one standing in the middle! Well, I'm not sure I can actually say he was _standing_ ; it looked more like he was crawling on all fours. He had a dark cloth covering most of his face, revealing only his blood-shot eyes and hair like spider legs out of his head. They all wore black cloaks with a red cloud design.

Never losing my cool, I folded my arms and regarded them with a smirk. "And you are?" The hot one spoke: "Let me get straight to the point. We have orders to capture you, by force if necessary, and make you join the Akatsuki."

"The Akatsuki?" _NEVER_ heard of it! "Why me? Wait, never mind, I ain't going nowhere, un!" "Yare yare*, feisty aren't we?" Blue Guy said grinning, revealing razor-sharp shark teeth "This kid looks like someone who'd die early," the all fours guy grumbled.

"Deidara. Your escapades are renowned! A fitting addition to our group," Blue Guy said. Okay, the blue one is suddenly formal…weird. "Can it, Shark Boy!" I said. I put my hands on my hips, secretly allowing Migi and Hidari to collect some clay. "I go where I'm needed and blow stuff up and get paid for it, so everyone can appreciate my work. I can't be tied down to some lame-o group with butt-ugly doofuses!"

"Butt ugly? I'm offended," Blue Guy said, his grin becoming wider. All-Fours shook his head. "She's definitely dying young," he grumbled. Hot Guy spoke bluntly: "If I defeat you, you will join the Akatsuki. If you defeat me, we shall never appear before you again." I stared into his eyes, accepting his challenge. He had strangely beautiful red eyes…

I smirked. Behind my back, I used Hidari to mold a long caterpillar while I molded a spider with Migi in front of me. I expertly threw the spider at Hot Guy, and raising two fingers to my lips, I yelled "Katsu!" The spider exploded and Hot Guy dodged. However, my caterpillar snuck up behind him and wrapped himself around his waist.

I began to laugh. "I won!" I exclaimed and raised two fingers to my lips, ready to blast the guy into outer space. "Are you sure you want to do that?" Blue Guy asked. His voice was cocky. "What the hell are _you_ babbling about?" I asked, annoyed. "Don't wanna see your friend go boom?" Blue Guy just grinned. "Look closer," the Hot Guy said. I rolled my eyes…then suddenly realized that my caterpillar was wrapped around _me_! "Nani? Genjutsu?" I stuttered. Blue Guy burst out laughing. "In a half second, you would've said 'katsu' and blown _yourself_ up!" he howled. All Fours shook his head. "I _told_ you she's going to die young."

I was too shocked for words. "When-" I sputtered. "When you looked into his eyes," Blue Guy explained. "Itachi-san's Sharingan always works!"

Sharingan? I looked to Itachi, who was now standing atop a pedestal, making it look like the two ginormous statues were bowing to him. For the first time, I noticed his forehead protector. He was a Konoha-nin, or rather, ex-nin. I'd heard of the Sharingan somewhere before; legendary eyes that were passed down alongside the Byakugan in Konoha.

I sank to my knees. I couldn't believe I'd fallen to the likes of him! I glanced up again. The sun shone through the stained glass windows and reflected off his eyes. With the statues behind him, the overall image was…beautiful. Realizing what I'd just thought, I glanced away with a feeling somewhat akin to shame tugged at my pride. That? Art? Impossible, un.

"Damn you, Itachi," I murmured. There and then, I swore that I'd be the one to kill him, and get revenge for this horrible feeling. Itachi jumped down and landed in front of me. "I have won. You will join the Akatsuki now." I averted my eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever," I muttered. Why did he have to be so freakin' cute?!

"Ikou ze!**" All Fours snapped impatiently. I followed them outside where my bird was waiting for me. "Sweet ride," Blue Guy said, flashing me a shark-toothed grin. I smirked. "You wanna ride it? Maybe I can take you up _really_ high, then push you off!" I said casually. He grinned, once again showing off his pointy chompers. "How cute. It doesn't work when you tell me," he said. "The bird is unacceptable," Itachi said. "We shall walk." "All the way? Come on, Itachi-san! Give us a break!" Blue Guy whined, still grinning. "Bossy, isn't he," he muttered to me. I just shook my head at that weirdo.

I let my bird shrink and dropped it in my pocket, and slung my backpack over my shoulder. I followed my captors, and pretty soon, I look track of where we were. "I have one question," I said finally, fed up of being silent. "Ask away," All Fours said. "How did you find me? Did Katsu tell you?" "Katsu?" he echoed. "A boy," I clarified. "We followed you," Blue Guy cut in. "That factory you blew up yesterday, we followed you from there. We were just waiting for an opportunity to get you alone." Since then? I usually know when people are following me. They must be really powerful to have been able to ward off my- wait a sec! Mental slap! _Quit praising these people, Deidara!_

"You say you were following me, but you were already at the temple when I got there. How did you know I would go to the temple?" I asked again. "Itachi was standing below your window," All Fours said crisply. Something about his tone told me that he didn't want any more questions out of me.

I clamped my mouth shut and smirked. Maybe I should've stuck around with Katsu. We'd have fun, once we got past the threatening, un.

 ***Yare yare (Kisame said this) means something along the lines of "my my" or "oh dear". It can also mean "Thank God," depending on how you use it.**

 **** Ikou ze (said by Sasori) means "let's go". Actually, only** _ **ikou**_ **means let's go.** _ **Ze**_ **is added at the end of words to show force, or in Sasori's case, impatience.**

 **Over a thousand words again! Awesome! We're** _ **finally**_ **making some progress as Deidara at least knows the Akatsuki exists. Unfortunately, she doesn't know** _ **Sasori**_ **exists, or that he is one of her captors, or that he is gorgeous beneath Hiruko. Oh well, one at a time. I think one more chapter will even out the odds. Stay tuned!**

 **Also, please leave a review. It's really discouraging to see so many hits, but so few views!**

 **Have a wonderful day, year, rest of your life!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Akatsuki

**Here comes another one of my mini chapters...**

Chapter Five: The Akatsuki

I went the whole freakin' day without food! We camped by some dreary cave that night, and they all totally ignored my cries of hunger, un. It was now the next day and we were _still_ walking! "Hey Fish-Boy! If you don't do something about my hunger soon, I'll fry _you_ and serve you with a side of veggies!" I complained. "Gaki (brat)," Blue Guy hissed. "I'm serious!" I threatened. "Urusai!*" All Fours snapped.

These guys are mean. None of them wanna tell me their names, not that I've asked. An hour later, my stomach actually grumbled. "Are we there yet?" I moaned. "Nope!" Blue Guy said, and he seemed to take pleasure in saying it.

By the time we reached our destination, evening had fallen. "Here we are," Blue Guy said. We were standing in front of a huge cave with a large stone covering. "Uh, where exactly are we?" I asked, looking at the rock sceptically. Suddenly, the rock covering rolled over slowly. I yelped as I jumped out of the way. "What the-" I looked back to see Itachi's hands still clasped in the 'bear' sign. "Give me a little warning beforehand, un!" I hissed. Itachi ignored me and walked inside. All Fours and Blue Guy did the same so I followed.

There was a giant statue with many eyes, all closed. There were also two giant hands. My mind went blank. What the heck was going on here? Itachi, Blue Guy and All Fours positioned themselves atop the fingers. " _Omaera wa baka?!_ (Are you guys idiots?)" I asked, getting pissed. "Shut up and climb up," All Fours said.

"Hai hai (yeah yeah)," I muttered as I leapt up and landed on the finger next to him. We waited. And waited. And waited. "What's supposed to happen?" I asked, eyebrow twitching. "We're fifteen minutes early," All Fours grumbled. "I'm no more happier about this than you are." Just then, the rock closing moved again, letting in a stream of light. A white-haired male rushed in with a strange guy who covered half his face with a mask. His eyes were red too...no wait, it's pink. Phew. I am NOT ready for another Sharingan.

"Crap! You guys beat us!" White Hair said. He turned on the masked man that came in with him. "It's _your_ fault, Kakuzu! If you weren't so obsessed with cashing in on that corpse-" The two newcomers wore cloaks identical to those of the men that brought me here. Great. More Akatsuki.

White Hair eventually got tired of yelling at Kakuzu who was mostly ignoring him. His eyes widened as he noticed me for the first time. "Holy shit! A girl!" he said. He looked at All Fours. "Jeez, Sasori! Where'd you guys find _her_? What happened to Deidara?" "We accidentally killed him and brought his sister instead," came the answer.

"Yare yare, Sasori no Danna**," I cooed, a smirk on my face. "I never expected you to be a _liar_." Sasori scoffed. "What does that mean?" White Hair asked, looking between the two of us. "I'm-" I didn't get to finish because all of a sudden, rainbow-colored people appeared on the remaining fingers. White Hair swiftly jumped on the one between me and Kakuzu.

A spiky-haired figure with concentric circles for eyes said "Meeting Commence!"

"Sashiburi-dana, Pain-sama!" White Hair said. "Jeez, we walked a whole day to get here!" Blue Guy complained. "Who's the girl?" asked a...thing...with a Venus-Flytrap-shaped thingy sticking out of his cloak and surrounding his head. They looked like giant jaws about to swallow him. His voice was deep and emotionless. Creepy, un.

"She is our new member," the one White Hair called 'Pain' said. "Deidara of Iwagakure." "Looks like Konan won't be lonely anymore," White Hair snickered. "She's quite young," someone said. I think it was the Flytrap guy. "She's about the same age as Itachi was when he first joined," a man with a raspy snake voice said. "Hello? I'm right here! Tell me what's going on, un!" I demanded.

Pain gave a little speech, saying that they were the Akatsuki, _blah blah blah_ , made up of missing nin only, _blah dee doo_ , had heard of my escapades and other pointless junk. Then he asked everyone to state their names. "Orochimaru," the man with the raspy snake voice said. "I am Zetsu," Flytrap said. "I'm Hidan," White Hair grinned. "His partner, Kakuzu," Kakuzu stated. "Akasuna no Sasori," Sasori said. "Hoshigaki Kisame, at your service," Blue Guy grinned. "Uchiha Itachi," Itachi concluded.

"Second order of the day," Pain said. "Deidara, you will be given your official Akatsuki cloak as soon as possible. Also prepare to undertake your first mission as your final initiation test." "Sounds okay," I said. What he said next changed my life forever.

"Third order of the day; you will be paired with Sasori."

 ***Urusai: This is a rather troublesome word to explain. As a word, it means noisy, loud, annoying, troublesome, etc. Most anime subtitles translate it as "Shut up!" depending on where it's used. You decide what you want it to mean in this chapter.**

 ****Danna: Most people think it means "master". It's correct, but not always. In Akame Ga Kill, Lubba referred to Shura as "Shura no Danna" when he invited him to die with him (Lubba). It was translated as "Mister Shura". So basically, it's used to refer to a male patron. In Deidara's case, I think he means the male patron one. But** _ **my**_ **female Deidara means Master, a title she just used jokingly. It just stuck in the end.**

 **Other** _ **interesting**_ **meanings of danna are "hubby(husband informal)" and "almsgiver".**

 **How come Konan didn't speak? She never speaks in the original Naruto so I plan to keep it that way.**

 **Why didn't Deidara and her captors come as holograms too? She didn't know how to do it yet...? She might escape while the others' eyes were closed...? I'm not sure myself. Heh heh.**

 **Why didn't Hidan and Kakuzu come as holograms either? Uh... they were close by...?**

 **Heh heh, I'm wasting your time. The chapter ended** _ **centuries**_ **ago! So, uh, don't forget to review! (I'm a bundle of nerves today!)**

 **No, seriously, the more you review, the faster I update. *Hint hint***


	6. Chapter 6: Home Sweet Home?

**Feast your eyes, my dear readers!**

Chapter Six: Home Sweet Home?

I was smirking. That's what I normally do. Even in the face of death, that smirk remains. I was not facing death, but I think I'd rather be right now. I feel like grabbing "Pain-sama" and wringing his little pierced neck until his little pierced head explodes!

"Hurry up," came Sasori's gruff voice. "Hai, hai," I said, still smirking. I can't believe that ugly puppet is my partner! Even that annoying Hidan would be better. At least _he's_ cute! Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu and I were on our way to...actually, I don't know. Kakuzu's flipping through some kind of bounty book. "Hey, Itachi has a pretty large bounty over his head," he commented to Hidan. "Yours is probably larger," Hidan said. "Plus, you can't kill Itachi. He's one of us!"

"Oi (hey). Where are we going?" I asked Hidan casually. "Camp," he answered. "So what's up with him?" I asked, jerking my thumb in Sasori's direction. "Oh, that guy? He just really hates waiting," Hidan replied, slowing down to walk beside me. "He's the most impatient fuckin' puppet I know," he added with a grin.

"Puppet? He's an actual puppet?" I hissed, wondering how in the heck that was possible. "A puppet with a living core. He was human once, I think though. But he's a fuckin' _art lover_. Talks like it's the most important fuckin' thing in the world! Sheesh!" Hmmm... I guess getting paired with a fellow art lover isn't that bad, un. "Can you tell me about the others? Like...Zetsu?" I asked. Hidan laughed. "He's just fuckin' weird!" he said between laughter. "He could be watching us right now and we wouldn't know!" "Eh?!" I whirled around and scanned the environment. Hidan laughed again. "He's not here! Even if he was, I doubt you'd see him," he chuckled.

"What about the others, un?" I asked, trying not to be creeped out by the fact that a walking flytrap could be watching me. "There's Kakuzu," he said, gesturing towards his partner. "As long as you don't mess with his money, you're fine." "He seems nice though, un," I pointed out. "Bullshit," Hidan said. I rolled my eyes.

As we walked, Hidan filled me in on the rest of the Akatsuki members: Orochimaru, Kisame and Itachi. Turns out that _genius_ Itachi is only two years older than me. He also took out his whole clan when he was _one_ year younger than my current age. Humph!

Hidan said that Konan was the only girl in the Akatsuki, but I've changed that. "You don't see her much anyway, so you're practically the Akatsuki's only bitch," he said. "Comforting," I said sarcastically. I don't think he got the hint though.

Apparently, Pain-sama is wrapped in mystery too. I don't know why they'd serve a leader they knew nothing about.

By the time Hidan was done with his descriptions, we approached a small clearing ( _finally_!) in the thick forest. A wood cabin seemingly out of a children's fairy tale stood smack dab in the middle. Sasori and Kakuzu walked towards it. "Who lives here?" I asked Hidan. "No one," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world and walked ahead. Rolling my eyes at the _annoyingness_ of my new group members, I followed them anyway.

When I got in, Sasori was nowhere to be found, Kakuzu was counting a thick wad of money and Hidan was flopped carelessly on a couch. "Um..." I said, unsure of what I should be doing. "We're spending the night here," Hidan said, answering my unspoken question. "I'm gonna _live_ with you creeps?" I practically spat. "No. No one's paying rent," Kakuzu said. _Ugh_.

"Sasori's already claimed the best room of the both of you, fuckin' early bird," Hidan told me, muttering the last part. "I'm sharing a room with him?" I exclaimed, horrified. "Yeah, but not a bed," Hidan said slyly. Then he raised his eyebrows suggestively and added, "Unless you want to." Doofus head. "Just great, un," I said instead, managing to smirk. I left to find Sasori.

He was in the room on the left. "Sasori no Danna," I cooed. "I haven't eaten since yesterday, it's already noon and I'm HUNGRY!" Sasori ignored me. He was staring either _at_ or _out_ the window. Could he get any weirder? "Sasori-sama!" I tried. "Go look for a village with Hidan or something, gaki (brat)!" he snapped. "Jeez. Fine, un," I said. _Stupid_ puppet.

"Hidan! I'm hungry!" I said, standing at the door with my hands on my hips. "So fuck what, bitch?" Hidan slurred, eyes closed as he reclined on the couch. "Sasori said I should go look for a village with you," I said, internally cringing at how much I sounded like a whiny toddler. "Yeah, it's gotta be _me_ , cos Kakuzu sure ain't gonna fork over any money!" Hidan grumbled as he got up. "You got that right, idiot," Kakuzu called. "Aww, you know you love me," Hidan sang. "Move it, baka!" I said, pushing him. He grabbed my hand, probably in an attempt to crush it or something, but Migi wasn't up for that.

"What the fuck-" he exclaimed, pulling his hand away so fast, you'd think I burned him. Migi smiled at him. I smirked. "Say hello," I said. "That is just fuckin' creepy," Hidan said, staring at Migi. "You're most likely creepier," I said blandly. I've dealt with enough criticism about my hand-mouths that I just don't care anymore.

Once outside, my pocket-sized clay bird expanded in size, immediately transforming from a cute keychain to a killer ride. "Sweet!" Hidan grinned as he hopped on. From my bird's back, Hidan and I spotted a tiny market town on the outskirts of the forest. "Ya know... I don't have any money, un," I said. "Don't look at _me_ for dough," Hidan grumped. "So what, you're gonna harass innocent citizens for food?" I asked. Hidan grinned. I landed my bird and folded my arms. "I'll be waiting," I said simply.

Hidan came back 15 minutes later swinging a bag over his shoulder. "What took you so long?" I asked. "Villagers are feisty," he said, a dark smile on his face. I inspected the contents of the bag and my face lit up. "Bakudan! Ikuzo, un!" I said happily.

I finished mine on the way. When we got back, Kakuzu was nowhere to be found. "He probably went on another round of his fuckin' bounty hunts," Hidan scoffed, making room for himself on the couch. It was _then_ , at that moment, with me standing _right there_ , that he decided to eat his bakudan. I stared at it longingly. Bakudan is my favourite food in the whole entire universe! Sure, I prefer bakudan in oden, but bakudan is bakudan, un.

Hidan licked his fingers. "I'm outside. Don't bother me," he said as he rose. "I'm outside, don't bother me," I mimicked. Ugh, seriously, these Akatsuki dudes are a piece (or rather, pieces) of work! I looked out the window. Hidan was sitting in some sort of circle, piercing himself with wooden stakes. I backed away from the window. Yep, I was right: Hidan is creepier!

Since I have nothing to do, and there's _no way_ I was going to talk Sasori up, I took out my clay and began to mould it into random shapes. I made a miniature statue that looked just like the one at the temple. I kept that one for later.

Night fell, and Hidan and Kakuzu returned at the same time. Kakuzu threw a bag at me, and handed a similar one to Hidan. I caught it easily and peeped inside. It was cup ramen. What a cheap dinner for someone with loads of cash. I _saw_ what he was counting earlier today! However, if not for him, I'd have gone hungry tonight, un. "Doumo (thanks)," I said. "Aww! You _do_ care!" Hidan gushed. "Shut up," Kakuzu muttered, stomping away. "Come on, admit it!" Hidan called, chasing after him. Mega doofus.

"Oyasumi (good night!)" Hidan called before disappearing into the room he and Kakuzu were sharing.

I packed up my stuff and headed to my room. What I saw made me rub my eyes twice. "Who are you?" I asked the drop-dead gorgeous redhead standing before me. Sasori was in a corner, looking...lifeless. The redhead smirked. "It's me, Sasori," he said. "That's obviously a lie. Sasori no Danna does NOT smile, un!" I said, getting a bomb ready. The stranger rolled his eyes. Believe what you must," he said. He pointed at Sasori. "That is my puppet, Hiruko."

I relaxed a little. "Puppet armor?" I murmured. Sasori nodded a little. "Now go to sleep," he commanded, as if he was tired of seeing my face. I relaxed completely. His voice was a little different, but no doubt, this was Sasori. I pouted. "Gee, Sasori no Danna, you could try being nicer, un," I said in the girly voice I always use when mocking him. He totally ignored me. Smirking (as always), I pulled out a night gown from my backpack and commanded "Don't look." "What?" Sasori asked, annoyed. I held up the nightgown with a triumphant smirk. He immediately turned around. I swear I could see a faint blush on his cheeks. I giggled softly. I never would've guessed that my partner was that hot. Maybe the Akatsuki wouldn't be so bad after all.

I lay down on the bed with light blue sheets and pulled the covers up to my chin. "Oyasuminasai, Sasori no Danna," I said. He didn't reply.

 ***Bakudan: Although there are lots of different types of bakudan foods , the one I'm referring to is a type of fishcake with a whole egg.**

 ***Oden is Japanese hot pot.**

 **Woo hoo! 1,605 words in 30 minutes! That's a new record! Well, we're making some progress. I think Dei and Sasori will go on a few adventures for the next couple of chapters. After all, the first genre of this fanfic** _ **is**_ **adventure.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading! It thrills me to see more reads and hearts every day, but what I** _ **really**_ **need is comments and reviews! PLEASE let me know what you think! It's the comments that encourage me to move forward!**

 **Have a wonderful rest of your life!**


	7. Chapter 7: First Akatsuki Mission

**Hey there, y'all! Sorry for the week-long wait! I get really busy during the week days. Throughout yesterday though, I was traumatised because Faix died! (Faix is a character in one of my fave novels). I mean, he just got up and freakin** _ **died**_ **! Not only that, he was killed by Eliza, who he had raised as a daughter. And Wes is a "marked" too? OMG, I can't** _ **wait**_ **to get Book 3! But enough about the novels I read. I'm sure you're all more excited to read the next chapter of Orange. Enjoy~!**

Chapter Seven: First Akatsuki Mission

I woke up and squinted against the sunlight. "Ohaiyou," I said as I stretched. No reply. I looked to Sasori's bed. He was gone but Hiruko was still there. I stood up and looked out the window. He was standing on the porch. He lifted his arm, and a large, black bird landed on his arm. He collected a package from it, and the bird flew away.

I walked into the living room-I really don't think we should call it that- and yawned. "What's up, you guys?" I asked. Hidan and Kakuzu were already dressed. "You sleep a lot," Kakuzu commented. "Time is money." Hidan covered his nose. "I think I feel a nosebleed coming," he said, eyeing me up and down. I shot him a death glare.

Sasori walked in. He hand me a scroll. "Our mission," he said. He gave one to Kakuzu. Hidan read it over his shoulder. "Sweet! All we have to do is steal some secret scroll!" Hidan cheered. "Fuckin awesome! I'm going to Takigakure!" "Aren't you _from_ the Hidden Waterfall, Kakuzu?" I asked. "Yeah," he answered bluntly. I'd _never_ want to go back to the village I'd abandoned. Kakuzu must have a ton of self control. **(Haha. Dramatic irony).**

"What'd you guys get?" Hidan asked. "We've gotta kill some guy called Kichiki Terasaka. Apparently, he got hold of some Akatsuki secret information, un," I answered. "That would be more fun than stealing a scroll. No fair!" Hidan whined. "Oi, weren't you happy about getting an easy job so you could be _lazy_ a second ago?" Kakuzu quipped.

Sasori threw something at me. "Oof." "Get changed," he told me bluntly. I looked at the package in my hands. In it was a black Akatsuki cloak with red clouds decorating it. Sweet. The outfit was pretty cool, un. I retreated into the room and took a quick shower. After putting on my underwear, I secured two pouched of pre-kneaded clay on both sides of my waist before putting on my cloak. I tied part of my long blond hair into a ponytail and let the rest fall over my shoulders. I secured my Iwagakure forehead protector on my forehead, part of it hidden by my left bangs. Ready!

I walked back into the living room-okay, I gotta find another word for it-and said, "Ikuzo, Sasori no Danna!" He was in Hiruko. Ugh.

"So where are we going?" I asked Sasori. "Getsugakure. It's not far from here," he replied. "The Hidden Moon? I've been there once before," I commented. "Good for you," Sasori said dismissively. Hmph. I smirked. "Naa, Sasori no Danna, why don't we fly? It's painful to walk the whole way, un." "As I said, Getsugakure is not far from here. We'll arrive in the evening and take him out by night. If we go on your bird, we'd get there too early." And you just _hate_ waiting. Yeah, I got that. I shot hate-bullets with my eyes at Sasori, but I doubt they were getting to him through Hiruko.

5 seconds later, Hidan and Kakuzu took off. "Sasori no Danna, why don't you change _out_ of that Hiruko," I suggested. "It's unattractive. Plus, I'm doing the dirty work anyway, so there's no need for him, un." Sasori ignored me and shuffled through the door. Rolling my eyes, I followed him.

I talked about random stuff as we walked. All I got was a few grunts in reply from Sasori. I decided to bring up my favourite topic...

"...and that's why I think the most beautiful of art is art that does not last," I concluded. Sasori snorted. "You are wrong. True art lasts forever," he said. "Wrong!" I argued. "Art is like a flower, so beautiful as it blooms, but it withers away after a while, and we appreciate it's fleeting beauty more, deep in our hearts." I threw the clay flower I was playing with into the air and it exploded. "Like my creations," I added.

"Flowers are stupid. Such ideals are wrong," Sasori said calmly. "Art that does not last does not deserve to be called art. A flower is just that: a plant, like Zetsu." "Do _not_ compare flowers to Flytrap!" We actually argued about it till we reached Getsugakure. Finally, I gave up with a smirk. "Hai hai, Sasori no Danna," I said. "I respect...your ideals. Although it's totally wrong." Sasori ignored me. It was already evening, and I'd missed both breakfast and lunch, AGAIN!

"Do you remember what Terasaka looks like?" Sasori asked me. "I left the picture at home, but I remember," I said. Sasori told me where he lived, the color of his house, and the number of trees that surrounded it. Dang, he has a really good memory, un. "He lives alone and returns from his lab at 7pm sharp every night," Sasori said. "He's a scientist, but the villagers don't like him because they think his experiments are useless and money-making." Kakuzu would agree. "If he died, no one would care nor come after us. All his family members are either dead or don't know he exists," Sasori concluded. "Lucky me. This'll be easy,un," I said, though I felt a little pity for the dude. Ah well, putting him out of his misery...

We took a detour through an abandoned road that ran right through the middle of the village. (I know, weird right?) We passed a few people, but they wouldn't recognize us through the straw hats. At the end of the road was a small clutter of trees. We walked through them in silence. A small wretched house stood near the edge. "He'll be back soon," Sasori told me. "He'd better not be late," I heard him mutter. "Yeah, or he'd face Sasori's wrath," I quipped.

Sasori retreated into the trees and I jumped up onto a branch. It was already pretty dark, but I was able to make out a dark figure heading towards the house. He turned on a porch light and I could make out his face. "It's him, un," I whispered aloud. "Better not take too long," I heard Sasori growl behind me. I ignored him and jumped down. Sticking Migi and Hidari into the twin pouches secured at both sides of my waist, I snuck into Terasaka's house. He left the door open, ano baka wa. **(that idiot)**

Hidari and Migi were done with the clay and I had six clay spiders in my hand. The letter Pain gave us said that he stored the Akatsuki information in scrolls hidden in a metal box. I just had to find it.

It wasn't that hard to find. It was under the kitchen sink which I had absent-mindedly looked under. It was even labelled! He's a bigger idiot than I thought, un! I opened the metal box and pulled out a scroll, curious to see what dark secrets my new group could be hiding. Che! (shoot) It was written in some kind of code! I sighed, the shrugged, and placed two clay spiders on them and the box. I also placed one by the front door.

Sneaking upstairs, I saw that his bedroom door was open. I peeked in. He was working at a small work desk in the corner of the room. I snuck up behind him and looked over his shoulder. "Wow, that's a lot of work," I said. He jumped and his eyes widened as he took in my outfit. "A-Akatsuki," he whimpered. I had already placed a spider on his shoulder. I strolled non-challantly to the window, while Terasaka remained frozen with fear on his seat. I placed the last spider on the windowsill. I smiled and said, "Hello. And...goodbye." Then I jumped out the window and unto my waiting bird.

"Katsu!" I yelled. In a split second, all my spiders exploded, and the house burst into flames.

I chuckled. "Geijutsu wa bakuhatsu da."

 **I'm sure you're all familiar with Deidara's fave expression. I had fun writing this chapter, mainly cos I get to reveal Deidara's** _ **evil**_ **side. Hmm, no, evil is too strong a word. But, she** _ **is**_ **an S-Rank Assassin-Rebel.**

 **I think it's hilarious that Deidara assumed that Kakuzu has self-control cos he actually killed all his previous partners in a fit of rage.**

 **But enough of what** _ **I**_ **think of this story. I wanna hear what** _ **you**_ **think! So pleeeeeeeaaaaaasssssseeeeee review! I literally feel like ripping my hair out when I get no word from you guys!**

 **Thanks for the favourites, by the way. You guys should totally check out my one-shot titled "Revelations".**

 **I await your positive –or negative- comments! Have a wonderful rest of your life!**


	8. Chapter 8: Surprises Back Home

**Hey. Author-chan here. But Author-chan is in a bad mood. Well, here's the next chapter. Because it's kinda short, I updated a bit earlier than usual so that you guys can get a normal-size chapter on Saturday as usual. Enjoy.**

Chapter Eight: Surprises Back "Home"

I convinced Sasori to ride my bird hom-no, _to the cabin_. We managed to get there in two hours. Kakuzu and Hidan weren't back yet. I was really counting on Kakuzu for money for grub. "How long does it take to steal a stupid scroll anyway, un?" I grumbled. Sighing, I reclined on the couch and closed my eyes.

I heard Hidan and Kakuzu come in a while later. "Man, that fuckin' rocked!" Hidan said as he came in. "We would've gotten here earlier if not for Kakuzu and his newest bounty," Hidan told me. "Uh-huh," I mumbled, eyes still closed. Deciding he was bored with me, Hidan turned his attention to Kakuzu, who was tampering with a sword.

"Hey, where'd you get that?" Hidan asked. "A samurai," Kakuzu answered curtly. "Cool! Hey, why didn't you just fuckin' trade it at your corpse market?" Hidan teased. "Shut up," Kakuzu said. "Ya know, it isn't fair that your motherfucker of an 'agent' trades only in dead bodies," Hidan commented. "Shut up," Kakuzu growled. "You should be able to get other bullshit for cash. Like ramen, ink, bugs, cereal, movie tickets-" "SHUT UP!"

Kakuzu whipped around and flung the sword at Hidan. It went through his heart and came out from the other side. Blood dropped to the carpeted floor and seeped through his cloak, staining the red clouds an even darker red. My mouth dropped open in shock. I was wide awake now, un!

Hidan just pulled out the sword and said "Hey Kakuzu! That hurt!" My jaw just freakin' hit the ground!

"Kakuzu has killed hundreds of his partners in a fit of rage," Sasori said, suddenly behind me. "But Hidan is immortal, so they make a perfect match." Kakuzu stomped out and Hidan chased after him. "Hundreds?" I echoed. "You're exaggerating, right? He's way too young to have had _hundreds_ of partners." "Well, Kakuzu _did_ fight the First Hokage," Sasori pointed out. My jaw fell through the flor. How old does that make the guy?!

"He steals people's hearts to live longer," Sasori explained. "He has five of them." "Well...Hidan didn't tell me _that_ ," I said, mostly because I was too dumbfounded for my brain to process anything else. Sasori rolled his eyes. I remembered Hidan impaling himself with wooden stakes earlier. His immortality explained that. It must be some kind of religious thing.

"The Zombie Brothers," I said aloud. "That's what I'll call them; they're supposed to be dead, but they're not. They're basically the walking dead, un." Sasori shook his head at me, as if he couldn't believe me, and left.

I stood from the couch and strolled outside. Kakuzu was still trying to kill Hidan with the sword. The scene provided a sharp contrast to the calm demeanor he usually had. "Hey Hidan! Will you stop annoying Kakuzu long enough for me to ask him for food?" I asked. "It's in the bag by the door!" Kakuzu growled, throwing the sword at _me_. I dodged with a graceful smirk (if you can actually use those words together). "Thanks," I said, picking up the bloody sword and tossing it at Kakuzu's head. Thread-like materials sprouted from Kakuzu's arms and stooped the sword in midair. More weird abilities, ano futari-domo.

I opened the bag I saw right where Kakuzu said it was. (Why did I ever doubt him? Oh yeah, he threw a sword at me.) Dango. For dinner. Seriously? Who does that? Well, not that I'm complaining… I finished the sticky snack and licked my fingers happily. Then I headed to my room. Yes, the Room of Doom where the Puppetmaster of Doom awaits.

I walked in on Sasori. Out of Hiruko. Without a shirt on. I think my jaw broke off and fell on the floor.

Sasori was a real, actual puppet! Where his stomach should've been, there was a roll of rope. There was a circular scroll-like structure with pulsing veins on his chest. _His core…_ I recalled Hidan saying that Sasori was a puppet with a living core. I had figured that Hiruko was the puppet and Sasori was the living core within.

I swallowed my surprise almost immediately and smirked. Sasori regarded me dully. I pointed at his chest. "What is that?" I asked. "My most powerful form," Sasori responded monotonously, turning his back on me. "I mean the scroll with the kanji for your name on it, un," I said, slightly ticked. "Is it your living core?" "You could call it that," Sasori said. "Your 'most powerful form' leaves you open," I pointed out plainly. "Your opponent would immediately figure out it was your weakest point, un." Sasori ignored me.

"Why did you turn yourself into a puppet?" I tried. "Art lasts forever. Puppets last forever. I am the embodiment of art itself." I scoffed. "Art doesn't last forever…" I began. "Go to sleep, gaki," Sasori snapped. Clearly, he was not ready to have this argument. "Hai hai, Sasori no Danna,"I said.

After changing into my night-dress, Sasori gave me a ring. It had the kanji "ao" on it. "What's this for?" I asked. "Everyone in the Akatsuki gets it after their first mission," he told me. "Thanks," I said, putting the ring on.

"It symbolizes membership of the Akatsuki," Sasori added. Great, as if the cloak wasn't enough. I crawled into my bed. "Oyasuminasai, Sasori no Danna," I chirped. It took a while for him to answer, as if he was contemplating whether to say something or not. "Good night."

 **Sorry for the shortness, but at least I made it to 950 words!**

 **Ao means blue or green.**

 **Ano futari-dono loosely translates as "those two".**

 **So why is Author-chan not happy? Comments! My friends tell me its good, but I wanna know what my** _ **other**_ **readers think! Please review! Every author needs criticism to cope, though probably not as much as me.**

 **Oh yeah, remember, this is an AU (Alternate Universe). I know that Dei is a guy. I'm just** _ **recreating**_ **him as a girl, although I know he doesn't like it! ;)**


	9. Chapter 9: Gambling

**I thought I'd have a little fun with this one ^_^**

Chapter Nine: Gambling

The cabin was strangely quiet when I woke up. Creeping into the room down the hall, I found no one. I crept into the living room (seriously, there's gotta be another name for it!), but it was empty too. "They're gone," said Sasori's smooth voice beside me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, ano yarou! "Gone?" I echoed. "Akatsuki do not stay in one place for long," he explained. "We have to get going too."

"How annoying, un," I grumbled. Sasori smirked and said "Go wash up." "Hai hai, Sasori no Danna," I sang as I trudged back into our room. Coming out in my Akatsuki cloak, I saw Sasori with another puppet. "Oh, come on! That one's even uglier than Hiruko!" I complained. "This is Shoki," he said. "He is not armour, but rather, a weapon."

I raised an eyebrow. "A weapon?" I asked. Light blue chakra threads shot out of his fingers and attached themselves to Shoki. Moving his hands, Sasori made Shoki grab my wrist. "Hey!" I protested. The clattering of puppet joints sped up and Shoki threw me out the window, which Sasori's chakra threads opened just in time.

I tumbled and flipped to my feet, getting a clay bomb ready. Shoki flew out of the window with Sasori close behind. Shoki lunged at me with his arm outstretched. His wrist took an awkward position and a metal spike poked out its head. I could tell it was poisoned and I dodged it, kicking Shoki in his stomach.

Shoki recovered quickly and his jaw dropped down like a sliding grove. A cannon emerged from its mouth. "Don't let the needles touch you!" Sasori called out. A million tiny silver pins flew out from the cannon. There was no way I could dodge them all. So I ran. Shoki turned his head and the pins followed me. This is why I hate short-range battles!

I threw a bomb and the needles stopped, but Shoki flew out from the smoke. Still making that annoying chattering sound, he lunged at me again. I ducked and grabbed his "hair" and threw him at Sasori, who stopped him midair with the chakra strings.

"Has it ever occurred to you that you can explain with WORDS?!" I yelled, panting. "Actions speak louder than words," Sasori said matter-of-factly. "Oh hardy har har, un!" I harrumphed. Sasori rolled his eyes. "Hurry up and eat," he said, releasing the chakra threads and letting Shoki lean on him. "Eat _what_?" I muttered. "That's your business," he said. It must be nice, not having to eat.

I raided Hidan and Kakuzu's room and found a whole bag of cup ramen. Not my thing, but it had to do.

Sasori came out in Hiruko. "What?" he asked when I audibly groaned. "You said my real form is too _obvious_ ," Sasori stated. "Yeah, definitely, un!" I said. "But you already have Shoki to protect you! Plus, moving around in Hiruko will make you seem...suspicious!"

Surprisingly, I was able to convince Sasori to ditch Hiruko. His cute, brown-eyed, redheaded face is _so_ much easier to look at!

We left the cabin after that. Shoki was stuffed in a black sack hanging over Sasori's back. "This is quite a heavy load. It'd be easier with Hiruko. Look at what you've made me do," Sasori commented after a while. How unlike him to start a conversation, but I wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. "Oh please. I know you can't feel anything," I scoffed.

We came across a little town by about noon. "I wanna gamble," I said suddenly. We were still standing at the edge of the town. "How do you know there's a place to gamble here?" Sasori asked. I shrugged. Sasori folded his arms and leaned against a nearby tree. "Fine then. Hurry up," he sighed. I shook my head. "Nanda?" Sasori grouched. "You're coming with me," I said.

5 minutes later, Sasori and I were walking through a busy town square. Sasori was grumbling about something to himself while I looked around for ways to get money. People were laughing and stopping at various stands. It was like a festival. "Anything happening here today?" I asked Sasori. "How would I know?" he grumbled.

I saw a group of muscled men crowding a particular stand. It was that game in which the player would hit a drum with a giant hammer, which would cause a giant ball to go up a metal pole. Apparently, if the ball went all the way up, it'd strike the bell at the top and the man who caused this would win MONEY! "I wanna do _that_ , un!" I told Sasori. Sasori rolled his eyes.

"You can't even lift that thing an inch off the ground," he said. "But, Sasori no Danna, you'll help me, right?" I asked, looking up at him with big eyes. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Gaki," he said, finally relenting. Yay!

"Sumimasen, I wanna try," I said. The men stopped talking and stared at me. Then they burst out laughing. I heard stuff like _little girl_ and _weakling_. I smirked. I pushed my way to the front with Sasori close behind me. Sasori's chakra threads shot out and attached themselves to the hammer. Chakra threads are barely visible, and the men were too far away to notice them. I picked up the hammer with ease.

The men gaped. Smirking, I hit the drum with all my might. The ball shot up the pole and more of Sasori's threads led it to the top. The ball struck the bell with a loud chime, and everyone stopped to stare at me. Sasori released the threads and I wobbled slightly under the real weight of the giant hammer. I focused my chakra on my hands to keep myself from toppling over.

I smirked as the dumbfounded game owner staggered over to me. He said something I couldn't quite comprehend and gave me my prize money in a brown bag. I turned to leave, but Sasori stopped me. "Make sure the money is real first, baka." I checked. The money was authentic.

"That thing was rigged, ya know," Sasori stated as we walked away. "Obviously, un," I replied. Then another stand caught my eye. "Let's go there!" I said excitedly. "Don't you have enough money already?" Sasori growled. He was _not_ happy to be doing this. "Last time, I promise," I said, already running over to the stand.

It was one of those games where a stone is put under a cup and the cups are moved around quickly so you can't remember where the stone is. I _rock_ at those games. Dragging Sasori over, I plopped on the seat. "Okaeri," a mischievous-looking man said. "You're interested in-" "Yeah, yeah, cut to the chase!" I interrupted. "Not so fast, little lady," the guy said. "You have to put something on the line.

Hmm... I brought out the mini-sculpture I'd made of the statue id seen back at the temple I first met the Akatsuki. "How's this?" I asked. "Exquisite," the man said, smiling greedily. "If you win, you get to keep your art _and_ my money." "Cool," I said. He placed a smooth, round rock under the middle cup and soon, his hands were a blur...to everyone else, that is. I could follow his movements easily. "That one," I said, pointing at the cup to the far right. His grin widened as he lifted the cup. My jaw dropped. Nothing was there!

"Try again," Sasori said. "Another round," I said firmly. I pulled off my Akatsuki ring as Sasori watched me with a bored expression. "Use two stones," I said. "If I win, I get my ring, my sculpture _and_ your money. If _you_ win,you get the aforementioned...and _me_." _Ooooooh_ went through the crowd. I wasn't really serious about the _me_ part, but who doesn't love a little action?

A boy my age tapped on Sasori's shoulder. "Are you really gonna let your girlfriend do this?" he asked. Sasori just shrugged. The merchant's smile was practically _begging_ to leave his face as he dropped another rock on the table. Sasori pretended to examine his nails as chakra threads extended from his fingertips and attached themselves to the rocks.

I watched the cups intently as the man's hands moved like lightening. He kept exchanging the rocks under his cups. So _that's_ how he did it! Sasori's threads however, barred his movements. Finally, he stopped, and Sasori tugged at his threads, making two cups move forward slightly in a way only I would notice. "This one and this one," I said pointing. "I'm sorry but...NANI?!" I grabbed my stuff and a purse of money on the table. The small crowd that had gathered to watch burst into applause.

"No! No! She cheated! My movements were perfect! Impossible!" the guy was shrieking. Me and Sasori left the crowd, with me laughing all the way.

"That was fun!" I giggled once we were back in the woods. "Your definition of _fun_ and mine are very different," Sasori stated stiffly. I laughed. "So where are we headed anyway?" I asked. "Do you have a place in mind?" Sasori asked, peering at me curiously. I sighed. He saw right through me. "I want to go to Itachi's hometown, Konoha."

 **Yay! Over 1,500 words! I had fun writing this chapter, from the puppet battle to the gambling endeavours.**

 **Oh yeah, "sumimasen" means excuse me/sorry while "gaki" means brat.**

 **I'm gonna start on the next chapter right now! Stay tuned!**

 **And don't forget to leave a review! (Pretty please?)**


	10. Chapter 10: Konoha and Naruto

**Hey Reader-tachi! Second chapter on the same day! I actually just really wanted to get this out of the way, so enjoy!**

Chapter Ten: Konoha and Naruto

At another nearby town, I bought a purple wig and a normal girly-looking, ninja outfit which consisted of a pale yellow kimono-shirt, a short black skirt, fishnet leggings that stopped above my knees, and blue ninja sandals. "Won't you get a disguise too, Sasori no Danna?" I asked, packing my Akatsuki clothing into a bag I also purchased. "I'm not going in," he answered curtly.

I made him pay for an inn to spend the night. Sasori doesn't sleep, so he expected me to stay up all night, walking with him, un! "Naa, Sasori no Danna," I said. I was lying face up on my bed. Sasori was on the bed across the room, but I don't think he was doing nor planning to do what normal people do on beds **(I mean sleep, in case I lost you)**.

"Nanda?" he asked. "How do I kill Itachi?" I blurted. He seemed amused at my sudden statement. "It'd be impossible for someone like you," he said bluntly. "Itachi possesses the _Mangekyō Sharingan_ , which is much more powerful than the already very powerful, normal Sharingan." "Huh," I said. I don't believe that _anyone_ is unbeatable. "There is a way though," Sasori said. I turned on my bed so I was facing him. "How?" I asked.

Sasori turned too, so that he was lying on his back, effectively avoiding my eyes. "His techniques revolve mostly about genjutsu. All you have to do is repel genjutsu."

The next morning, we set out for Konoha. It wasn't that far because, according to Sasori, we were already in the Fire Country. Since we left at the crack of dawn, we got there two hours after noon. Removing my forehead protector, I dropped it into my back, and told goodbye to Sasori. "Remember to drop by in the evening," he said in a gruff voice. "Hai!" I said.

Konoha was beautiful. Everyone seemed so happy and cheerful. But only one thing really caught my eyes...the Konoha Monument! I'd read about it in a brochure of the Country of Fire top ten most famous tourists' sights that id gotten at the inn. I could name Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato with my eyes closed!

When I was a little kid, I was always hearing about the Yellow Flash! Now I get to see him up close! Well, his stone likeness up close. Trekking to the edge of the village, I made my way up to the Second Hokage's head. The view from up here is amazing! I didn't make a mistake coming here, un!  
Just then, I spotted a spiky blond head behind the Fourth's nose. "Hey!" I called. An eleven-year-old blond boy popped up, surprised to see me, and almost fell off the monument! I jumped over and caught him just in time. He was holding a paintbrush and a pile of paint buckets were resting on the Fourth's forehead. He had an annoyed look on his face. "Are you going to take me to Lord Third?" he asked. I smiled, which seemed to surprise him. "Now why would I do that?"

He looked down at the paintbrush in his hand and I suddenly noticed the crazy graffiti on the Third's face. I raised one eyebrow. "Do you have an extra paintbrush?"

Well, I ended up helping him deface the Konoha Monument that I had so wanted to see. I painted pink swirls on the Second's cheeks and made the Third stick out his tongue. The boy gave them funky eyebrows and crazy tattoos. When we ran out of paint, we walked back into the village. The boy turned to admire our work. "It really _is_ true that four hands are better than two!" he said triumphantly. _I don't think that's actually a saying_ , I wanted to say, but decided against it.

The boy turned to me. "Ore wa Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!" he declared. "Dattebayo?" I echoed, giggling? "I'm gonna be the Hokage of this place and make all the villagers acknowledge me!" he told me. I laughed. "I think you have to become a shinobi first," I said, flicking his green goggles. He adjusted them on his forehead with a huge grin. "Pretty soon, I'll replace these with a shiny, new Konoha forehead protector!" he said.

"Good luck! I'm rooting for you!" I told him. He beamed at me. Well, games over. Now I have to pursue what I actually came for. "I'm Rio," I said. "I'm actually looking on information on some guy named Uchiha Itachi." Naruto frowned as if he was thinking, then said, "The only Uchiha I know is Sasuke, and he's a real jerk!" I vaguely remembered Hidan mentioning Itachi's otoutou.

At that moment, a pink-haired, green-eyed girl in red walked by us. "Hi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said eagerly. The girl blatantly ignored him. It was obvious that Naruto liked her, and the way she brushed him off was kind of mean. I opened my mouth to speak, but I suddenly felt someone watching us. Lifting my eyes, I saw a little blue-haired girl watching Naruto intentlywitha little blush on her cheeks. Hmm...I get it. What a funny little love triangle. I'm guessing that, if Sasuke is anywhere near as cute as his brother, Sakura's crush is Sasuke.

Naruto seemed disappointed that Sakura blew him off. "Uh, don't worry about that, little guy," I stuttered awkwardly. "Um, I think that if you keep on trying, if you don't give up, you can get whatever you want, no matter who stands in your way." Wait a second...did I actually just give an eleven-year-old _romantic_ advice? Ugh, what is _wrong_ with me today, un?

"What if that person happens to be a particular Uchiha?" Naruto mumbled, not meaning for me to hear. I laughed. "Maybe you should look closer for someone-I mean some _thing_ that really means, uh, something to you," I said. "Okay!" Naruto said, sucking in my advice.

"There it is! Get it!" I heard someone yell. "Uh oh! I've been found out, ya know!" Naruto giggled, not seeming to mind being referred to as "it". "Gotta run, Rio-san!" Naruto called as he ran away laughing. "Get back here!" an angry man yelled. "Hahahaha! Catch me if you can!" Naruto taunted gleefully.

I shook my head at the scene. Well, that aside, I have an Uchiha to find. And I have a hunch that a certain pink-haired girl can lead me to him.

 **Yeah, this is kinda a short chapter, but it was one of the chapters I just had to get out of the way. On the other hand, two chapters in one day is a good thing, right?  
Well, I decided to send Dei on this quest because in the anime, Dei seemed serious about getting revenge on Itachi. I decided to make her just a **_**little**_ **interested in that for now.**

 **Also, I put Dei in a disguise cos people always say he's a girl in disguise. It just made sense to me!**

 **Oh yeah, and yes. I** _ **do**_ **ship NaruHina!**


	11. Chapter 11: Uchiha Sasuke

**Happy** **Labor** **Day, all you Americans! Though I'm not actually done with all my homework, I'll procrastinate a little and present you with Chapter 11!**

Chapter Eleven: Uchiha Sasuke

Going in the direction I saw Sakura heading, I soon caught up with her. "Oi, Sakura!" I yelled. She turned. "Uh, hey..?" she asked more than said. "I know what you're wondering, but no, you don't know me," I said. "Um, okay," Sakura said, still a bit confused. "I'm kinda new here but I came looking for someone, and someone _you_ know is related to that someone," I explained. "Someone I know? Who?" Sakura asked. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura narrowed her eyes and glared at me."I know what you're trying to do!" she declared. "But guess what? _I_ knew Sasuke-kun first! And by the way, you're way too old for him, so there!" I stared at her for a full ten seconds before I burst out laughing. "I totally agree!" I giggled, wiping away a tear. "I'm not interested in him _that_ way!"

Sakura blushed. "Oh," she said. "Well then, follow me." I rolled my eyes to myself before following her. Sakura began to talk. "You know, I really like Sasuke-kun. He's so cool. I wish I could be like him, but he'd never look at me that way. I know I'm not that pretty, and pretty girls like Ino always beat me to Sasuke-kun." She sighed sadly. "You're so lucky, one-chan. You have such a pretty face." I laughed. _Not_ a compliment I don't hear often. "Naa, one-chan," Sakura said, turning to me. "Do you think I have a chance with Sasuke?"

Well, I have no idea how to answer _that_ , un! I'm probably supposed to support Naruto or something, since we've been _acquainted_. But then I remembered the little girl with blue-black hair watching Naruto. I felt _she_ looked better with Naruto. Sakura could end up with Sasuke, for all I care (and I really don't care that much, actually. I mean, _hello,_ I just met these kids! I don't even know what the kind Sasuke looks like!)

I chose my words carefully. "Since you already have someone special to you, you don't need to care about being pretty or not. Go for love and...don't forget to guide the misled to _their_ destinies too!" I'm sure her eleven-year old mind had no idea what I was talking about, but she nodded enthusiastically.

 _Someone special, huh?_

 _I don't need to worry about such. I have no such person._

My mind flashed to my redheaded partner waiting for me outside Konoha. He was probably driving himself crazy waiting for me. I imagined him, face red, steam shooting out of his ears, waiting for me to come back so he could pounce. The thought made me chuckle.

"Nanda?" Sakura asked. "Oh, nothing," I smiled. "Hmm. Anyway, here's Sasuke's house." Before I could reply, a blond woman with a pixie-style haircut stomped up to Sakura. "SAKURA!" she yelled. "Where have you been? You're supposed to help me with lunch! Oh, come with me, you!" She grabbed Sakura by her ear and began to drag her away, while I watched dumbfounded.

"Mom! I'm busy! Why are you embarrassing me like this?" Sakura whined as she struggled under her mom's grip. "Well, I'm busier!" her mother yelled back and dragged her away, despite Sakura protests.

I suppressed the urge to laugh. If this was what it was like to live with a mom, then _no thank you_! Stealing one last glance at the pink-and-blonde-duo silhouette, I snuck into Sasuke's house.

No one was home. I looked around as I got my bearings. Sasuke's home was very, super, extremely neat. There was a picture of two people who might have been his parents; a beautiful, dark-haired young woman and her stern-looking husband. There was an overturned picture on the bedside-desk. I walked over to it and turned the picture over. He was a bit younger, but no doubt about it; it was Itachi.

Sighing, I turned to leave. Maybe I'd come back later, when someone was actually in this empty house. Suddenly I sensed a presence behind me and dodged as three kunai flew towards me. I looked up. They were thrown by a raven-haired boy who was currently playing Spiderman on the ceiling.

The boy jumped down and got in defence position, eyeing me suspiciously. "Who are you?" he asked. Hmm, he looks a little like his big bro. I put my hands on my hips and smirked. "Wow, Sasuke-kun," I purred. "Good job masking your presence. You almost got me...almost."

Sasuke didn't seem at all surprised that I knew his name. Did weirdos usually break into his house or something? (Oops, just called myself a weirdo.) "Who are you?" he repeated. "Oh, no one important," I said. "Just a lonely wanderer with a bone to pick with your nii-san." Hearing that, Sasuke tensed but released his position. "I don't know of his whereabouts," he said, looking away. "But my nii-san..." he turned and looked me straight in the eye. "...is mine to kill."

Mine to kill? Aren't brothers supposed to...oh wait, never mind. "I guess you _would_ want him dead," I purred. "After putting you through all that all those years ago... I'd say he deserves it, don't you?" Sasuke flinched, but said nothing.

Sighing I said, "There's no use pulling the I-know-somethin-you-don't act if you don't react! Okay, then. Tell me about the Sharingan instead. Now he looked annoyed. "There's no way I would reveal the Uchiha secrets to an outsider," he said. I shrugged but pressed on saying "Then what about genjutsu?" Sasuke turned his back on me and began walking away, saying "Urusai na. Hayai hanareru." I decided to pull out my trump card.

Smirking, I said "What if I told you I knew where Itachi-senpai was?" I asked slyly. "Senpai?" he whispered. I pretended to examine my nails. "He forced me to join, ano yarou da. I can't believe I put up working with him." "I don't believe you," Sasuke said.

I ignored him and continued. "And he's got such interesting eyes. A strange pattern, not like the normal Sharingan." "Mangekyo!" Sasuke blurted. Then he lowered his eyes. "Kaeru (leave)," he said.

Clearly, I wasn't going to be able to squeeze anything out of this kid. "Well, then, suit yourself," I sighed. "I'll tell Itachi that I visited, though I doubt he'd give a damn." I scoffed and left.

Well, that was a total bust! I guess _all_ Uchiha are tight-lipped and snobby, un! The sky was getting dimmer. Time to meet Sasori. Of course I couldn't go through Konoha gate without being caught and questioned by those _gatemen_ , so I had to take the long way, the same way I used to get in. Its tricky dodging all those rocks, but it's worth my life!

He was waiting right where I'd left him, leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. He looked almost peaceful that way. His eyes opened as I approached, and he turned his glare on me. Ulp! Scratch the "peaceful" stuff I said earlier!

"You're late!" he growled. "I know! Sorry!" I giggled. "So?" Sasori asked. I blinked, momentarily lost in two pools of chocolate. _Wait, what?_ "Oh! Um..." I relayed my experience to him. "So you didn't find out anything?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Well, that was expected, you idiot! What would _you_ do if a total stranger appeared at your house asking you to reveal the secrets of your explosion release?!"

Heh. Well when you put it that way...

Sasori placed two fingers on his forehead, as if I was giving him a headache. "Have you ever heard of a library, Deidara?" he asked finally. Oh yeah! There's always that. Books: written pieces of art that can last for hundreds of years, definitely Sasori's thing, not mine. Well, it was at least worth a shot! I told Sasori goodbye before heading back into Konoha. The gatekeepers were already snoozing at their posts.

I was wondering where I was gonna stay when I bumped into a familiar blonde. "Rio-nee-chan!" he cheered. "So how'd you escape?" I asked him. He snickered. "Those idiots cold never catch me, ya know!" We both laughed. "I'm going to buy dinner. Wanna come along? What do you want?" "Ichiraku no raaaaameeeeen!" Naruto cheered. "Ichiraku?" I echoed. Naruto's eyes widened. "You've never had ramen at Ichiraku's?" he exclaimed, as if that was the biggest abomination in the world. I shrugged, and he practically dragged me to his favourite diner.

The ramen was okay. Really, it was just ramen, un. But Naruto seemed smitten by it. "Arigatou gozaimasu!" Naruto cheered as we left. "You're welcome, I guess," I smiled wondering how mad Sasori would be when he found out that I spent almost all the money he gave me on ramen for an eleven-year-old. "Oyasuminasai!" Naruto said. "Ah," I smiled. Then I stood there, wondering how the heck I'd get a room here. I don't think I could get away with the whole "seduce" thing like I did with Katsu. Naruto must've noticed because he said, "Onee-chan, do you have a place to stay?"

"I kinda came here on a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I didn't prepare..." I said. "You can stay with me, then! That is, until you can find a place," he offered. Hey, I didn't have the luxury to refuse, un!

Naruto's room was the total opposite of Sasuke's. But hey, a room with a roof is a room with a roof! I'm not into house-keeping or anything, but I decided to do it anyway. I flopped on the now-clean floor and listened to Naruto talk animatedly about his life until I fell asleep.

 **Ah, that was fun! I'm actually supposed to be working on a project right now, but it's not due for another five weeks, and this is more fun!**

 **What Sasuke said to Dei means, "Man, you're annoying. Hurry up and leave."**

 **The next chapter will be really short. Maybe I'll just type it up now and get it over with. Since there's no school on Monday, I'll update then too!**


	12. Chapter 12: A Cliff-Hanger Chapter

**This is a little short by my standards, so I'll try to update two chapters today.**

Chapter Twelve: A Cliff-Hanger Chapter

"Ohaiyou!" I looked at the man talking to me. He had spiky brown hair tied in a ponytail and a scar across his nose. "You're new here, aren't you?" he asked. I nodded. "I'm just passing through though," I said. "I'm on a mission to gather knowledge," I added. "Aah, knowledge. Doesn't everyone want it?" the man said, sighing dreamily. "I'm Iruka," the man said. "Feel free to ask if you need any help," he added.

"Actually," I began. "I'm looking for information on a particular kekkei-genkai..." Once I mentioned the Sharingan, Iruka grew suspicious, but I managed to convince his that I was a scholar researching extinct clans. There was hardly anything on the Sharingan though. Iruka said that they were a veery secretive clan. I was surprised that I found a whole book on the Mangekyō Sharingan, but it only contained myths and fables.

Finally, in a thick tome about Visual Prowess, I found what I needed. Apparently, the first one to awaken said Mangekyō was Uchiha Madara. The chapter was very short compared to the others, but my eyes feasted. _Love_ was the main topic of everything relating to the Sharingan. Suddenly, a great idea popped into my head.

I left the library to find Naruto. "I'm leaving!" I announced. He was sitting alone on a swing set attached to a tree. He frowned. "Already?" he asked. Oh yeah, this kid had no friends. And the only friend he ever made was leaving after one day. Tough luck kid, un. "Yeah," I answered. "But we'll meet again," I compromised. "Yeah!" Naruto said, brightening up. "When you meet me again, I'll be the Hokage of this place!" he declared. "I'm counting on it!" I smiled as I left.

On my way out, I saw Sakura. She was with a girl whose white-blond hair may or may not be prettier than mine. I waved and she waved back. I also passed the pale-eyed girl from yesterday. "Good luck!" I called out to her. She looked startled. "Oh...um, you too!" she said. I snickered. She had no idea what I was talking about.

I could actually leave through the village gate this morning. A group of Chuunin were escorting some people out of Konoha, so I just ppretended to be with them until I was out. Sasuke was training alone in the trees outside the gate. Target practice. He's pretty good for his age, un. I tried to sneak past to get to Sasori, but he saw me anyway. He sent me a glare that could've frozen Sasori. I still managed my signature smirk and said "Don't worry! I'll tell Itachi-senpai you said hi!" "Hmpf!" he turned his head away. I shrugged, and went to find Sasori.

"You took too long!" Sasori chastised. "Hai, hai, Sasori no Danna, un," I said, rolling my eyes. I got rid of the purple wig and ninja outfit and was back in my Akatsuki getup. "I look cuter as an Akatsuki than as a ninja, ne, Sasori no Danna?" I asked. "Gaki," Sasori muttered, not looking at me.

"So where do we go next?" I asked as we left Konoha territory. "Iwagakure," he answered. "Nani?!" I screeched. "I can't go back there! I just left! If I come back now, my reputation will be ruined! Kurotsuchi will laugh at me! That old, backless Sensei of mine will have my neck!" I began tyo hyperventilate. Sasori began to laugh. At first, I didn't recognize this foreign sound, but I noticed my partner's shoulders shaking, his eyes shut tight. I paused my panic attack. "It's not funny, Sasori no Danna!" I whined, not actually wanting him to stop laughing. "My whole life could be at stake here!" Sasori laughed more. "You're surprisingly gullible, though that shouldn't surprise me," he said finally.

"You...you tricked me?!" I demanded. He shrugged, all traces of laughter gone, just like that. "You made it easy." "That wasn't fair, Sasori no Danna!" I complained. He rolled his eyes. He was back to his silent self. _You know, you should laugh more_ , I thought.

I began to wonder about Sasori's life _before_ the Akatsuki. I wonder why he traded his human body for that of a puppet. His emotionless expression hid a heavy secret, I could tell. Maybe he'd tell me someday. Maybe he wouldn't. Anyway, I had more pressing matters in my head.

I was determined to take down the Uchiha of the Akatsuki. And now, I had the perfect plan to do it.


	13. Chapter 13: Sasori's from Sunagakure!

**Ugh! Finally done with my stupid biography on Shakespeare! Well, actually, I haven't actually begun the final draft yet, but I have a God-given right to procrastinate! Enjoy this next chapter!**

 **P.S. It's almost 8pm so this might be a little short, but at least this is the second chapter today.**

Chapter Thirteen: Sasori's from Sunagakure?!

It's been a year since I went to Konoha. A year since I joined the Akatsuki. And a year since I met Sasori. He's still as cold and distant as usual, but the more he pushes me away, the closer I want to come.

I'm on my clay bird alone, hovering over Sunagakure. I adjusted my eyescope. Yes, eyescope. After studying the mechanics of the Sharingan back in Konoha, I was able to create it. I got the idea and parts, and Sasori helped me put it together. Genius, ne? Back to the present: I know that I can't go in through the gate, so I found an isolated spot in the village from the top of my bird. Then I jumped down.

I landed on my feet (not surprising for _moi_ ), and looked around. "Dare?" I heard someone whimper. I froze as I locked eyes with a kunoichi about my age. Yikes. I'm not in disguise! "Uh..." I began, formulating a lie in my head. "Are you an angel?" the girl asked. I blinked. Is this girl for real? I decided to use her naivety to my advantage. Smirking, I asked "What do you think?"

Bad move.

"Well, I kinda think you're an angel cos you fell from the sky and you have such beautiful golden hair. But your clothes are black, so that means you might be a dark angel. Grandma calls them 'fallen angels' too, and says that they're really evil. Grandpa says it's all a load of bull, and I think I should believe him over Grandma cos he's the serious type that never tells lies or says what he's unsure of. But Grandpa's so boring, so I prefer Grandma. She always tells me stories. Momma tells me stories too. Well, she used to. Now I'm too old for them, she says. I'm only turning 15 next month, so I don't think I'm too old for them yet! Speaking of age, how old are you? You look about my age, but Grandma says that angels are hundreds of years old!"

I stared at her, open-mouthed, for a full 10 seconds. I finally found my tongue and asked "Bakajanaino?" "Watashi wa baka jaarimasen-yo!" the girl whimpered, tears suddenly forming at the corners of her eyes. I rolled my eyes. "I'm 15," I told her. "But for telling you that, you have to answer a question of my own." Her eyes grew wide, apparently anticipating my question. "Have you ever heard of Sasori?"

She lost it again. "Akasuna no Sasori?! Of _course_ I know him! He's _legendary_ here! Even though I never met him, I think he's super cool! He has such as nice name, that Sasori. Oh yeah! I have a name too! It's Kyou!" I mentally face-palmed at the extent of this girl's stupidity. I chose to withhold my name, to avoid it getting infected with stupidness, un!

"Does Sasori have any...relatives? That are alive?" Kyou paused, as if she was thinking. "Well, there's Elder Chiyo," she said finally. "That's great, un!" I said, beaming. "Where is she?" "She's usually at Sasori's old house at this time of day," Kyou said. "C'mon! I'll take you!"

Kyou chatted the whole way there. I was barely listening. My heart beat faster with each step. Suddenly, Kyou stopped. "Nanda?" I asked. "We're here," she said, gesturing at the house in front of us. It was the epitome of a classic Sunagakure home. I started up the steps then stopped and turned when I realised that Kyou wasn't following me. "Just go in. You don't need to knock," she told me. "Why aren't you coming?" I asked. "Chiyo-baachan is a bit...strange," she answered. Huh, well that made sense, though it seemed a little contradictory coming from her.

 _Wait a second_. This could be a trap. I just followed this strange girl to a place I know nothing about. The whole "innocent" thing could all just be an act. Maybe her job is to lead intruders to this place, where trained shinobi are waiting to ambush. I narrowed my eyes at the girl. But, right now, this was my only hint. I had to take a chance. I had Migi work some clay, so I'd be ready if I was ambushed. I'd sense whoever was hiding before they even had a chance to strike, un!

I opened the door and walked in. Walking down the dark hallways, following a bright light. The light was coming from what was probably a living room. There was a figure with silver hair rocking slowly on a rocking chair. I walked closer. "Hello," I said. No reply. "Hey!" I said, raising my voice a little. Still ignored. Walking closer, I realised that the old lady had probably died on her seat. But I could still sense the chakra flowing through her. Playing possum? How immature, un!

"Hey, if you keep on pretending to be dead, the Death God will decide you're tired of life and you'll actually die," I said in a bored tone.

The old lady opened her eyes and burst into laughter. "You're a smart one, boy!" she snickered. _**Boy?**_ I rolled my eyes. "Are you Elder Chiyo?" I asked. "In the wrinkled flesh," she winked. "Then you know someone named Sasori?" I asked. At the mention of my partner's name, her face changed, and she went silent. "Umm..." I said. She looked down, lips sealed. I sighed. This woman obviously didn't want to tell me anything. I'm sure I can find someone else who knows Sasori. According to Kyou, he's pretty popular around her. I turned to leave.

"Matte!" Chiyo said. When I turned around, she heaved a sigh and looked down again. "I don't sense any bad wishes from you, so you either come in peace, or you're masking your bloodlust. Either way, I need...to get this off my chest," she admitted. "Listen well, I'll only say this once."

 **I guess you can tell from the ending that the next chapter will include stuff you already know. Sorry about that! ^_^**

 **Bakajanaino-are you an idiot?**

 **Watashi wa baka jaarimasen-I'm not an idiot. ('Yo'is for emphasis.)**

 **If you look at the 2** **nd** **sentence, you can probably tell that "watashi wa baka (ja)" means** _ **I'm an idiot**_ **. "Arimasen" is made up of 'ari' (which means existence/at the present moment) and 'masen' (which is a suffix used to negate a verb in the non-past tense). So if you translate it word for word, it means "I'm not an idiot right now". But the true meaning is the one I specified above.**

 **Hint for speaking Japanese: just add 'arimasen' or 'masen' to the end of a positive Japanese sentence to make it negative! ^_^**

 **Sorry! Wasting your time! See you tomorrow! (oh yeah, I'm updating that early!)**


	14. Chapter 14: Sasori's Story

**Ikou-ze!**

Chapter Fourteen: Sasori's Story

"Sasori is my grandson," Chiyo began. "As a child, he was completely angelic and he was the object of adoration of his parents. Those were the good old days..." I had an eerie feeling that this story was going to get really tragic really quickly.

"Sasori's parents were shinobi, and they were sent out on a mission. However, they were killed by Konoha's White Fang." Konoha, huh? Dare I say that was probably the reason Sasori hadn't wanted to enter Konoha with me? "Sasori was still so young then. I couldn't bring myself to tell him. Instead, I'd tell him that his parents would be back soon, and kept him busy with puppetry. I'd hoped I'd never have to tell him. That was stupid. Sasori, that boy... he already knew. I noticed Chiyo's eyes suddenly get wet, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Was this supposed to make me feel sorry for her and Sasori? Well, _sorry_ , but it was working, un!

I fought to swallow the lump in my throat and asked "How?" "He was smart. He figured it out himself. Then he decided to fill the void left by his parents with puppets. That is, puppets that looked like his mother and father, his first puppets."

Chiyo reached out and touched my forehead. Suddenly, I could see her memories, clear as day. There was little Sasori. I have to say, he was an adorable kid, un. He had two puppets with him; a male puppet with messy red hair like his and a female with long black hair. He controlled them with his chakra threads and they slowly wrapped him in a hug. The whole scene was so touching; the lump in my throat grew bigger. What the heck? It's not like me to be so sympathetic.

For some reason, his concentration was interrupted and the chakra threads snapped. The two puppets fell to the floor, and chipped a little. Chiyo mentioned that they were his first puppets. I expected him to burst into tears. But he didn't. He just stared at them. I recognized that look in his eyes. It was the same look he always had nowadays. Eyes like glass, holding no emotion.

Chiyo dropped her hand. "Sasori changed after that," she continued. "All he knew was work and puppets. He grew impatient. He had no friends. Except Komushi, who was strangely able to put up with Sasori's silence. Komushi was my link to Sasori. I should've known it wouldn't last. Komushi lost an arm on guard duty, and Sasori made him a new arm, a puppet arm. But that idiot ingested his own poison and died. Komushi's mother, she was devastated, and she begged Sasori to give her back her only son. Sasori did. He recreated his only friend...as a puppet."

I shuddered slightly. How cold.

"Sasori was a master puppeteer. People started calling him Akasuna no Sasori for the blood he spilled on Sunagakure's sand. Shortly after, he left." The old woman sighed, long and heavy. "Maybe if I had been more open from the start, maybe then..." Kyou was right about Chiyo being weird. She seemed to be laughing and crying at the same time, un.

"Um..." I began, not sure how to or whether to comfort her. Nah, I'm Deidara. I'm not known for comforting peoples' grandmas, even if she _was_ Sasori no Danna's grandma.

"What is your intention, boy?" Chiyo asked me, all traces of sadness suddenly gone. "Why did you wish to learn about Sasori?" I smirked. "You said yourself that you didn't sense any evil wishes from me. Plus, I couldn't even really use this information against Sasori no Danna in any way, even if I wanted to." Chiyo's eyes widened. "You know him? How...where?" "We wander together," I said. "But he's so quiet, I just had to find out what he was hiding." I cracked a smile.

Chiyo is very easy to read, unlike Sasori. A thousand different emotions flashed on her face in a split second. She opened her mouth..then closed it, then opened it again and closed it again. "Gomen," I said. "But I can't stay, say nor deliver a message. Sasori no Danna probably doesn't even know I'm gone yet. He'll probably kill me when I get back, un." I shuddered at the thought. "Oh," Chiyo said. I turned to leave. I had already reached the door when Chiyo squeaked out "Take care of him." Smirking, I turned around and pointed a thumb at myself. "There's nothing I can't do!" I said.

Kyou was still waiting outside. She seemed anxious. "He's returned," she said once she saw me. "Who?" I asked. I was barely able to complete that one word before she grabbed my hand and took off running. We ran closer and closer to civilization. I heard people whispering furiously. "He's back." "The monster has returned." "Why isn't he dead yet?" I was majorly confused, un. Then I realized I was standing on top of a building with Kyou. How I got there, I didn't know. "Look!" Kyou said pointing.

Making his way down the road was a boy with bright red hair. People moved out of the way for him to pass, as if they were terrified of him. My heart skipped a beat. Sasori? I jumped down to get a closer look, and Kyou followed. I let out a sigh of relief as soon as I spotted teal eyes and a forehead tattoo. The guy is way shorter than me; how could I have mistaken him for Sasori? He was followed by an older blonde girl and an older boy with purple face paint.

"Who's he?" I asked Kyou. "Gaara-sama," Kyou answered, eyes sparkling. "And those are his older siblings, Kankurou and Temari." "Why are people calling him a monster?" I asked again. "Gaara-sama is a Jinchuuriki, but I don't think he's a monster. I feel bad for him, but my parents won't let me anywhere near him. I think it's because he kills people. But my parents are shinobi and _they_ kill people, so I don't really get it."

"Aren't you supposed to keep your Jinchuuriki a secret from outsiders?" I asked with a smirk. Kyou's eyes widened, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. "Stupid, Kyou! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" she reprimanded herself. "Momma always says you should keep your mouth closed. You really are an idiot! Baaa-kaa! Baka, baka, baka! Ugh!" I grinned at her. "Thanks...for your help," I said, which is really out of character for me. "I'll be leaving now." "Bye-bye!" Kyou cheered. "But hey, I didn't catch your name!" I decided to play with her. "I'm Ryou!" I said. "Cool! We're like twins!" she cheered, jumping up and down. I giggled, then turned around and ran off.

I returned to where I fist landed and whistled. In little more than a second, my bird flew down and landed beside me. I jumped on, and I was airborne.

I thought of Sasori's story. I can't even begin to imagine what he went through. _My_ parents died before I could tell the difference between a kitten and a lion. But even then, I wasn't lonely; I had Ohnoki-Sensei and Kuro and everyone else in Iwa. And I began to wonder...is it better to miss the warmth of a family, or never to have known it at all?

 **Whew! This is the last chapter with stuff you already know. It's gonna be completely original from here on out (Ya know, except for the fact that I'm using Masashi's characters).**

 **I hope you guys like long chapters, cos my chapters are gotta get longer, except for the hopefully few thousand-word chapters I may have to throw in every now and then. Please comment! Thanks to those who already have!**

 **P.S. Does anyone know the difference between a shinobi and a ninja?**


	15. Chapter 15: Akatsuki Reunion

**Finally...finished...biography report! Must...type...next...chapter!**

Chapter Fifteen: Akatsuki Reunion

I snuck back into me and Sasori's current resting place. It was a cabin just like the first one. It was eerily quiet so I figured Sasori was still sleeping. Well, I was wrong. Sasori was sitting on the table, waiting for me.

"Where did you go?" he demanded. "Whaddya mean?" I asked innocently. "I just went out for a (short) stroll." "Fuzakenna!" Sasori said. "You snuck out when it was still dark. You thought I was sleeping." Oh yeah. Sasori doesn't sleep. "Fine," I sighed. "I flew down to Amegakure to see an old friend." Sasori obviously saw through my lie, but he said nothing.

"So what's up, Danna?" I asked trying to lighten the mood. Sasori looked bored. "Leader-sama announced a meeting...in two minutes, actually," he said. Grinning, I plopped on the floor, cross-legged. Sasori sat beside me. In a second, we appeared as rainbow-colored holograms on a giant thumb and index finger. Shortly after, Hidan and Kakuzu appeared, followed by Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu, Konan and Pain. "Sashiburi!" Hidan announced.

"Hey there, Zombie #1," I commented. "Right back at ya, Weirdo #1," he retorted. "You never change," Kakuzu muttered. Itachi remained silent as always. "Hey, where's Orochimaru?" White Zetsu asked. "Orochimaru left us," Pain said. I saw Sasori tense beside me. Orochimaru was his partner before I came into the picture. I always thought he didn't like Orochimaru. Maybe I was wrong, un. "Left us?" I echoed. "Ano yarou...," Black Zetsu growled. "Tch. Good riddance," Hidan scoffed. "Mattaku. Always full of surprises, that Orochimaru," Kisame said. "Should I kill him? I hear he's worth a lot," Kakuzu volunteered. "No, let him be," Pain sighed.

"Too bad," Hidan said, punching his other palm. "I was fuckin' looking forward to pounding snake butt." "I'm not sure snakes _have_ butts, un," I snickered. "If that was the big announcement, Itachi and I are leaving now," Kisame said, and he and his partner disappeared. "Us too," Hidan said. "We're at Kakuzu's fuckin' exchange point, and if I stay here any longer, my nose will just fuckin' fall off!" They left. Zetsu left too, without a word.

"Sasori. Deidara," Pain said as we were about to leave. Just great. I wanted to go complete my sleep. "Nanda-yo?" I asked, annoyed. "Gather information on all the Jinchuuriki," Pain said curtly. "What? Wait!" He was already gone, with Konan. "Ugh!" I whined. I disappeared, and Sasori followed suit.

"UGH!" I screamed in my real body. "Pain-sama is such a control freak, un!" "What part of LEADER do you not understand?" Sasori asked sarcastically. "Why didn't he ask Zetsu to do it!" I fumed. "He can go from place to place without any trouble! And he's great at reconnaissance!" "Well, it's been a while since he gave us a major mission. Maybe that's why," Sasori said calmly. "Hmph!" I stomped into my room. Since it's just the two of us in this cabin, I got my own room. I threw some important belongings into mmy old backpack and went back out to meet Sasori at the front of the cabin.

"I already know the basic information on the One Tail Jinchuuriki," Sasori told me. He summoned a scroll and scribbled some information on Gaara ( his location, appearance, age, fighting style, etc).Snapping it shut, he sent it directly to Pain with a teleportation jutsu. "Wow. You really keep up with your home politics, un," I commented. Sasori eyed me suspiciously. "How did you know that I'm from Sunagakure?" he asked.

Oops. Itachi had dropped the hint by calling my partner "Sasori of the Red Sand". "Wow! Really?" I sputtered. "It was a lucky guess! Hahahaha!" Sasori rolled his eyes. "Well, let's go," he said. "To where?" I asked.

He paused as if he hadn't really thought that through. "Let's head to Kirigakure first," he suggested. "So what, we're just gonna keep on wandering until we come across a Jinchuuriki?" I asked. "Pretty much, yeah," Sasori said, shrugging.

"Don't we need to go by water to the Hidden Mist?" I asked again, hoping to keep him talking. "That's right," he answered curtly. "So we're heading to a harbour to get a boat?" I pressed. "That's also correct," Sasori said. I clapped my hands together. "That means we have to wear disguises, don't we? Pain-sama isn't ready to reveal the Akatsuki to the world yet!" I cheered.

Sasori scoffed. "Girls and clothes," he muttered. "I know that's what you want, but that won't be necessary." My shoulders slumped. I was really looking forward to Sasori in normal clothes. "Don't tell me we're stealing a boat?" I whined. "No. I know a guy," Sasori said. I was lagging behind him so I scurried up to walk next to him. "What kinda guy? Is he cute?" I asked. Sasori choked down a laugh. "Mattaku," he managed.

I decided to change the subject. "Naa, Sasori no Danna," I said. "Do you look like your mom or your dad?" It was a totally random question. I expected him to frown, to glare at me, to ignore me, or even to burst into tears...to just...react. But he didn't. "Mom's face, dad's hair," he said. I was caught off guard for a second. "Oh, okay. Um, cool," I said. "I don't look like either of _my_ parents," I added.

Sasori didn't say anything after that. I got bored again. Then I got another one of my brilliant ideas. "Hey Sasori," I said. "Art doesn't last, un!" My plan worked: Sasori wrinkled his nose in disgust. We'd had this argument a million times already. I respected Sasori's logic as a junior would a senior artist, but he hadn't accepted mine...yet. It was something I was determined to get him to do. "Art is something that withstands the test of time, beautifully and gracefully," he said.

"Beautifully and gracefully my foot!" I scoffed. "If your puppets are an example of your so-called art, I'm not really sure you understand the meaning of the word 'beautiful'". "I beg to differ!" Sasori scoffed back. "Your clay bombs are nothing more than toys!" "That hurts, Sasori no Danna!" I complained. "The truth hurts, honey," Sasori sneered.

My eyes lit up. "What did you just call me?" I asked excitedly. Sasori realised what he'd said and blushed and turned away. "Nothing," he muttered. "Come on, Sasori no Danna! I'm sure I heard something!" I pressed. "It must've been your imagination," Sasori said. "By the way, weren't we talking about your _beautiful_ art?" "Don't change the subject, Danna, un!"

We got to the docks that evening. "There's no way this is possible!" I exclaimed. By this time, all the ships should've already left! But one still remained, as if it had been waiting for us. Sasori rolled his eyes at me. A figure staggered towards us. It was the captain of the ship. "Right this way, sir," he mumbled to Sasori. He led us in through the back of the boat to a private suite. Then he bowed and left.

"What was that about?" I asked Sasori. "He's my puppet," Sasori said simply. I peeked out the room window. The man was doubled over, clutching his head. "What's up with him?" I asked my partner. "Effects of brainwashing," Sasori replied. "Cool! Teach me!" I said. Sasori smirked. "You're too dumb to grasp the delicate art of brainwashing," he told me. I folded my arms and pouted. Meanie.

Sasori laid down some ground (or in this case, boat) rules for me. I wasn't allowed to leave the suite except at night when everyone else was asleep. No explosions. No talking to other passengers. "Oh yeah, and no flirting," he added. "I don't flirt!" I protested. (Okay, that may or may not be a lie).

I was really super bored. I talked to Migi and Hidari most of the time. Sasori listened at times too, but he hardly ever replied. At night, I'd go out to the boat deck. But that was pretty much it.

 **Phew! Got that done! Sorry for not updating yesterday as usual. I was too busy scouring the web for information on William Shakespeare. It is hard to believe that so little is known about his childhood! Well, I'm gonna start the next chapter!**

 **Thanks for all the nice reviews and follows! It really gives me the courage to press on!**


	16. Chapter 16: Deidara Trouble

**It's Homecoming Week, so we don't have much homework (actually, Precalculus is the only teacher giving me homework, dammit!), and I decided to give you guys the next chapter a few days ahead of schedule. Enjoy!**

Chapter Sixteen: Deidara = Trouble

"Finally! Dry land!" I squealed as me and Sasori trudged off the overgrown boat. "You're acting as if you didn't get off at the break spots," Sasori muttered. "How long were we on that thing, anyway?" I continued, ignoring him. "I lost track of the days, un!"

All the other passengers had long since left the harbour. We were the only two there. The captain Sasori brainwashed went ahead to arrange a room for us. "I haven't been here in ages," I sighed, breathing in the familiar Kirigakure air. "And the last time I was here, I was blowing stuff up!" "Don't forget, we're here on a mission," Sasori said. "Hai hai. How could I forget _Pain-sama_ and his lousy, annoying mission IMPOSSIBLE!" I scoffed. Sasori rolled his eyes.

Later on, Sasori's brainwashed puppet came out and led us to the place we'd stay in. Putting on a typical village-girl outfit, I told Sasori that I was heading out. He was concocting a new poison with some strangely-colored leaves he saw on the way here. "Knock yourself out," he mumbled, barely looking up.

I tied my hair into twin ponytails on my way out. I had no idea what to do or where to go, and it was still midday. Well, first things first: find civilization, un! Then I remembered I was hungry. "Okay, first things first: find civilization and food!" I corrected myself aloud. I bounced down the street, passing the blue-and-gray clad Kirigakure shinobi and the village dwellers.

 **Time skip**

"Clothes shop, shoe store, mask stand..." I mumbled, marking off each store I passed. I wasn't looking where I was going, so I inevitably bumped into someone and we both fell to the ground. I was ready to yell at the person, even though it was partly my fault, but then I realised it was a boy. That is, a ninja boy _my_ age. I immediately put on my cutesy act.

"Ita..." I groaned, holding my head. "M-moushiwake arimasen!" the boy stammered. "Daijoubu desu ka?" "I- I think so," I said. He helped me to my feet. _I bet you're thinking 'kawaii',_ I thought, hiding a smirk. "I'm Junpei," the boy introduced. "Misa," I lied, smiling nicely (with ulterior motives floating in my subconscious, un!). _Welllllll_ , long story short, Junpei ended up buying me lunch and giving me a tour around Kirigakure.

The next day, Sasori was busy with a new project, so I left and met another guy named Kazuhiko. I told _him_ my name was Hana. "A name as beautiful as the one who holds it," he'd told me. The day after that, I met Kentin. And the day after that, I met Ikkun. After him, Tatsumi. And Sasori (ano Sasori no yatsu), when he wasn't growing mold in a corner, he went out a bit too. He got an audience from the opposite sex too. But he ignored all of them, making the mission his priority. Party pooper.

Well, a day came that I didn't mean any boy. Not that I wanted to anyway. I'd tried to worm the topic "Jinchuuriki" into every conversation with every guy I met, but apparently, Kiri-nin are super-secretive. The guys were more interested in talking about "us". Um, hello? There _is_ no us, un!

I'm a good spy though, so since _that_ method didn't work, I'd try another. But since I wasn't actually sure yet, I decided to plan out my next moves over lunch. Junpei recommended this place called "Itadakimasu" to me. Guess I'll try it out.

I made it to the food place quite easily. A bell rang over my head as I opened the door, and the sound bounced off the walls, echoing back at me. Echo? That could only mean one thing: this place was empty! My intuition did not fail me, un! I had actually been watching my feet the whole time, trying to figure out whether it's easier to walk with my heels touching the ground first or my toes. When I heard the echo and concluded that I was the only customer here, I looked up. Sure enough, the tables were empty. Maybe this was a mistake...

"Okaeri!" the big-bodied man behind the counter boomed. _Back away slowly..._ I thought, but forced myself to smile. "Hey there!" I said. "I'm hungry." "Well, you've come to the right place" the man beamed. "Is your food any good?" I asked. "Well of course!" the man said, not fazed at all. Hmm... Omoshiroi.

"Are you sure?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Surer than sure!" the man said, still smiling. "But this place is kinda...empty," I pointed out in a whiny voice designed to irritate. The man didn't flinch. "Every business has a bad day," the man shrugged. "Yeah, but not _this_ bad," I pressed."Then you obviously haven't been to very many businesses," the man replied with a laugh.

He's got a lot of self-control, I'll give him that. My stomach gurgled, so I decided to call this battle a draw and mentally rescheduled another one for tomorrow. "So, do you have a lot of food?" I asked. "Of course, we have the widest variety of meals in all of Kirigakure!" the man boasted. As if on cue, about a hundred chefs marched out from the kitchen behind the counter, each holding a silver tray with a different kind of food. I shook my head. "I don't mean _variety_ , I mean _quantity_ ," I said. "Right now, I'd have an all-you-can-eat-buffet running helter skelter looking for food to give me, un!"

The man chuckled. "Have a seat, young lady, and let your tongue be dazzled!" I ordered one of everything. The chefs gathered round me as I ate. "She eats more than a Jinchuuriki," a female chef whispered. "Have you ever seen a Jinchuuriki eat?" someone retorted, obviously making an effort to be snarky. "Well, I once served Yagura-sama..."

I licked up this new information as eagerly as I licked my fingers, and smirked at the huge pile of empty plates in front of me. "That's gotta be a new record!" I sighed happily. "Your pay check," a stringy chef told me. I took the paper, but I knew before looking at it that I wouldn't be able to pay the price specified on it. I patted my pockets with my gloved hands. "Uh-oh, I must've dropped my wallet," I said. "But I'm sure I had it before I entered this place. It must've fallen off at the door. Hold on a sc, lemme get it."

Those chefs are Stupid with a capital S! They just stood at my table and watched me head to the door. Tsk tsk, un! "So long, suckers! I cackled and bolted out the door. "Wait!" the chefs cried, taking off after me. I tossed a clay spider over my shoulder and it exploded in front of them. No one died, but it did leave quite a mess. I kept on running, turning back every now and then to throw a bomb. _Guess I better let them catch me soon,_ I thought, glancing back.

BAM! "Watch where you're going!" Sasori scoffed down at me. He was wearing a long black trench coat/jacket and black boots. Geez, what is it with me and bumping into cute guys nowadays? Wait... _cute_?! And how come I was the only one that landed on my butt from that collision?! **(A/N: Haha, Dei's trying to change the subject ^_^)** I was about to yell at him when I realised that all the chefs had surrounded me, along with a few Jounin. "Sir, please step away from the girl," a tall Jounin said. I folded my arms defiantly. "There's no way he's handing me over! He's my partner!" I declared.

"Huh?" Sasori stuttered. Before he could demand an explanation from me, we were on our knees with our hands behind our backs. "What have you done this time?" Sasori hissed at me, his rage obvious in his brown eyes. I ignored him and listened to what the ninja were saying, pissing him off more. We could both easily escape from this place, but I knew that Sasori knew he had to negotiate his way out of this if he wanted to be able to search for the Jinchuuriki here without the stress of having to sneak around.

"What did she do again?" a tired-looking Jounin was asking one of the chefs. "She ate everything on our menu, took off without paying, then tried to kill us with bombs!" "She seems pretty ordinary to me..." the Jounin muttered, casting a weary glance in my direction. Hmm, dame da. I have to make them think that I'm more dangerous.

"Are you sure you should turn your back on me?" I asked, smirking. "You won't know when I aim another bomb at your sorry behinds..." For emphasis, I whispered _katsu_ and a bomb that had fallen from my pocket earlier exploded. Luckily for me, it was right beside the Jounin that didn't seem convinced. "Restrain her!" he barked, and somebody hit one of my pressure points, paralysing me and making me stumble forward.

"She uses explosives...she might be an enemy spy!" "That makes sense." "We must let Yondaime-sama know!" "We can handle this ourselves..." "But he'd like to know! He'd me madder if he found out on his own." "*sigh* Fine. Banri, take this message to Yagura-sama." Yagura? Bingo.

"Deidara! What is wrong with you?!" Sasori hissed beside me. I smirked weakly: whoever hit me was really talented at taijutsu. "Calm down, Sasori no Danna," I managed. "We just found our first Jinchuuriki!"

 **Moushiwake arimasen-a very polite way of apologizing**

 **Omoshiroi-interesting**

 **Yay! It's the return of Seductress Deidara! What's her fate? And why is she so interested in this Yagura? Find out in the next chapter of Orange!  
Haha, sorry, I've been watching DBZ recently, and that's how they always end. Please review! Your comments are like little pieces of Heaven to me... hontou ni!**


	17. Chapter 17: Mizukage Yondaime no Yagura

**My History teacher made us watch the First Presidential Debate last night! Ugh! I'm not gonna vote anyway so why force me to care who wins? I'm sure my American readers are interested though. The only thing anyone could talk about at school today was the freakin' Debate! Ugh!**

Chapter Seventeen: Mizukage Yondaime no Yagura

I haven't seen the Mizukage yet. They took Sasori and I to their investigation ward, and so far, some crazy older guy has been asking me a bunch of (stupid) questions, un. I was on one of those chairs with in-built handcuffs and ankle cuffs. I could easily break out if I wanted to. Any shinobi could, actually. Apparently, they didn't suspect I was one. I suppose that's good anyway. I'm not in the mood of having my chakra drained...

"For the millionth time-" my interrogator, a guy named Migurucii began. "Why couldn't I get someone cuter to question me?" I interrupted. "What did you just say?" the man seethed. I looked him straight in the eye. "You heard me: you're butt-ugly and you smell worse than a drunk skunk in a pigsty!" I declared. "Why you..." the guy growled, getting all up in my face. I glared at him defiantly, daring him to react. The poor guy almost popped a blood vessel, un!

Sasori, who was sitting on a similar prison-seat behind me, sighed.

Ugh, this was wasting time. Now that I think about it, I doubt that the Mizukage himself will come deal with me. I've heard the rumors about him; he was a cold-blooded, isolated man, who was the reason Kirigakure was nicknamed _The Bloody Mist Village_. If that was the case, I'd have to go through the trouble of getting out of here, and planning a way to corner the Mizukage. Sasori would butcher me for wasting time with this!

Just then, the only door in the room flung open, and in walked a young boy with a giant flower on his back. "Mi-Mizukage-sama!" my interrogator stuttered, standing up straight. The supposed Mizukage raised an eyebrow at him, as if annoyed by his very presence. I took that opportunity to access him: green hair, green clothes, pink eyes, short stature. He was kinda cute!  
Yagura looked straight at me. His eyes sent chills through me. They kinda reminded me of Sasori's eyes: beautiful, but cold and emotionless. If not for my experiences handling Sasori, I probably would've broken down right there! "Is she the supposed terrorist?" he asked. Wow, even his voice was enthralling. "H-hai!" Migurucii stammered. "I'm no terrorist! I just didn't have enough money!" I scoffed. "Mizukage-sama," Migurucii interrupted. "You don't have to bother yourself! Me and my men can take care of this!"

"You used chakra bombs," Yagura interrupted, downright ignoring him. "Yeah," I replied. "Then you are a shinobi. Or perhaps a rogue ninja. Then you have come here on a mission to spy on us, no?" Yagura asked, quite calmly. "None of the above!" I lied effortlessly. "I just learned a little ninjutsu from my late master as a child." "Who is he?" Yagura asked, motioning at Sasori. "My brother," I answered. "He doesn't talk much," I added.

Yagura sighed. "So much trouble for nothing..." he muttered. "Carry on," he told Migurucii. "I was only passing by, anyway." And with that, he was gone. Once Yagura was done, Migurucii turned on me. "Baka!" he yelled at me. "You couldn't answer a single question I asked, but-". "Yeah yeah, I made you look like a fool in front of your superior. Tough luck, un," I said.

"So can I go now? Yagura seems to think I'm innocent," I drawled. "How dare you address the Mizukage by his name?!" Migurucii sputtered. "He's _your_ Kage, not mine. Though I suppose I don't really have a Kage..." I yanked my wrists and feet hard, and the cuffs on my miniature prison shattered. Standing up, I released Sasori. Migurucii could only stare with his mouth hanging open. "Jaane, Butt Ugly!" I cooed.

 **Short time skip**

"Naa, Sasori no Danna! Admit it!" I said later that night. "I did good, didn't I? I found our first Jinchuuriki!" Sasori rolled his gorgeous brown eyes. "You're not sure he's a Jinchuuriki," he pointed out cynically. "Well, I trust my instincts! And you're finding out for sure tomorrow, ne?" "Whatever," Sasori mumbled, turning his attention back to the puppet he was working on.

"Guess what?" I asked again. I kept on repeating that question until he finally said "What?!" "I developed a new type of bomb from Yagura's chakra earlier," I said. "It explodes when it comes in contact with Jinchuuriki chakra!" "Whoop-de-doo," Sasori said unenthusiastically. I pouted. "It's a good thing, Sasori no Danna! You're so mean!" "Deal with it."

The next afternoon, Sasori sent a puppet to attack Yagura when he was alone. He picked up on his fighting style and abilities, confirmed he was a Jinchuuriki, then sent another scroll to Pain.

"Yay!" I cheered. "We can finally leave this place!" Sasori shook his head. "Why not? We've been here a month already!" I complained. "It's weird, don't you think?" Sasori asked. "Kirigakure is clever. They wouldn't keep such a valuable secret asset in such an obvious place. They must have another one hidden somewhere." I sighed. Sasori had a point. Unfortunately. "Hai, hai," I moaned,

I moulded my Jinchuuriki-Tracking Clay (which I call Juuki clay) into clay birds, and sent them out into the town. They were to perch on everyone they passed. If the person was a Jinchuuriki, they would explode. Then the other Juuki birds, noticing this event, would come get me, and lead me to this person. A foolproof plan...or so I thought. A week came and left, but no luck. "I am soooo sick of this, un!" I whined to Sasori. "I hate waiting," he mumbled in reply.

I actually still met Junpei, Kazuhiko and Nimura every now and then. It was near impossible to squeeze info out of them, but I'll keep trying. I got most of my feeding money from Sasori, who sold his puppets for cash. I have no idea when or where, but he sells them all right.

"You've been here quite long for a visitor," Junpei told me. "You're not planning to stay, are you?" I just smiled at him. I only hope that's not the case. I could be in this stupid country for years waiting for a Jinchuuriki that might not even exist! But Sasori is smart, so I have to trust him. This is actually all Pain's fault. If it was Zetsu, he'd have this done in a snap! But noooo, Pain had to pick on the youngest, newest member of the Akatsuki! Stupid Pain!

 **I've been able to keep all chapters over 1,100 words. Are they too short? Should I lengthen them? Thanks for all you followers! It makes me really happy! ^_^**


	18. Chapter 18: The Inevitable

**Hey everyone, I know...I'm late! I've been really busy. Hope this will hold you up for a while.**

Chapter Eighteen: The Inevitable

There was a clearing somewhere in the Kirigakure forests. I found it, and it became a place I went every day. There was an old bench overgrown with flowered vines smack-dab in the middle of the clearing. I liked it, so that's where I spent most of my evenings, molding my clay into the different things and people I'd seen each day. I'd made a sculpture of Sasori, Junpei and Kazuhiko, then one of Itadakimasu and the ship we came in.

After releasing my Juuki birds, I headed over to that clearing a bit earlier than usual. To my surprise, there was someone there. It was a guy with short, straight black hair in the standard Kirigakure-nin getup. I paused before approaching him. "Hey dude, you're sitting in my seat, un," I said. I took a closer look at him. He was feeding the birds. **First impression:** Girly boy.

He looked up at me and smiled. "So you're the mysterious visitor who's been coming here when I leave," he said. "Well, since we're both here, I guess I'll have to share." **Second impression:** Super girly _nice_ boy

Heaving a sigh, I plopped down beside him. "State your name, sir," I commanded. He raised his eyebrows at me but answered "Utakata." Interesting name. "I'm Hana," I blurted. "Oh," he answered. He wasn't looking at me; a bird had just landed on his shoulder. "How troublesome," he sighed, rolling a bored eye at it. " _You_ invited it," I pointed out. "Yeah yeah," Utakata sighed. **Third impression:** _Weird_ super girly nice boy

Just then, one of my Juuki birds burst through the surrounding trees towards me. I held out my index finger and it landed gracefully. It was a beautiful work of art, but it being in one piece meant it wasn't true art yet. I sighed. No luck, huh? "What's that?" Utakata asked. Shimatta! I forgot he was there!

"It's my bird!" I said. "It looks almost as if it's made out of clay," he observed. "It is!" I blurted. "I mean, since I was a kid, my sculptures come to life. My master says it's because I can't control my chakra flow," I explained. Of course, it was a blatant lie, un. But he didn't know that. "You're a ninja?" he asked. "No, but I do practice ninjutsu every now and then," I said. He smiled, then patted my Juuki bird on its head with two fingers...and it exploded. **Fourth impression:** A life-saver!

My Juuki bird exploded! That means that Utakata is a Jinchuuriki! "What just happened?" Utakata asked, eyes wide. I laughed nervously. "My Juu- I mean my creations explode when other people touch them. But don't worry! Most explosions are harmless!" I said. My Juuki birds don't combust into a chakra bomb like most of my creations. It just rapidly disintegrates and makes a loud sound.

"Someone's coming," I said suddenly. "Relax," Utakata said. He stood up. "Master," he greeted, bowing. I turned around. "Aah! Hige-oyaji!" I exclaimed, truly frightened. "Shitsurei!" the round-eyeglass-wearing old man said. "Uh...sorry," I said. "I'll be leaving now." "Bye!" Utakata said over his shoulder. As I left, I heard his master scolding him. But they both ended up laughing. They must be really close.

On my way back, I bumped into Nimura, and he took me out for dinner. I got back to Sasori a bit late, but he didn't seem to care. "I found the remaining Mist Jinchuuriki," Sasori told me. "What? No fair! So did I! How?" I complained. "Puppetry," he answered curtly. "I got his name, but I don't know what he looks like."I submitted his description. The next day, Sasori pushed him into a corner and uncovered his Bijuu (six tails) and his fighting style (bubbles).

The day after that, we left for Amegakure. We stayed there for a month with no luck. No luck in Orochimaru's place, Otogakure either. Kakuzu clued us in about a Jinchuuriki in his hometown Takigakure. It was a girl named Fuu who kept on talking about making a hundred friends, un.

Heading over to Kumogakure, we found out Yugito. We thought that the Raikage, A, would also be a Jinchuuriki because of his superhuman strength, but it turned out to be his younger brother, B, a guy with a serious rapping addiction. We went to every other location on the map, but in 10 months, we hadn't gotten anywhere.

"Time to face the inevitable, Deidara," Sasori told me. "I know, un," I sniffed. It was time for me to head for Iwagakure, the Hidden Stone... _home_.

* * *

 **Hige-oyaji means super old man.**

 **Shitsurei means how rude! If you say shitsureishimasu, you're apologizing.**

 **I'm beat, and I still have work to do. Please heart and comment and all the usual st...zzzzz**


	19. Chapter 19: Home Sweetyeah right!

**So I managed to update within 1 week, like usual. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Note: chapters from here on out are going to be longer than usual, except maybe one or two. Brace yourselves, minna-tachi!**

Chapter Nineteen: Home Sweet...yeah, right!

Sasori and I walked slowly down a stone path in Iwagakure, where I was born (probably) and bred; my home. Most of my face was covered with that crazy straw hat that Sasori made me wear, but I couldn't help but feel nervous that someone would recognize me. After all, my beauty can't be veiled, un.

Sasori looked at me. "Iwagakure has two Jinchuuriki." It sounded more like a statement than a question. "Yeah," I answered. "I don't know much about them, though. I never really cared about that stuff, un." I looked up, trying to think. "The four and the five tails...their Jinchuuriki are both male, and they live secluded from the rest of us. One is a redhead," I concluded. Sasori sighed. "Yare yare," he muttered.

"Deidara!" a voice called. Just great; I've been recognized. I turned around to see a girl with purple bangs running my way. "It really is you!" she shrieked as she tackled me with a hug. "Ayu?" I blinked, surprised. "In the flesh, Dei!" she winked. "OMG! Where've you been? What's with the outfit? *Gasp* Please tell me that hottie over there is your boyfriend!"

I smirked. "No, he's my puppet partner. He doesn't have a mind of his own and does whatever I say, un." I saw Sasori scoff behind me, but I guess he decided to play along.

Then I noticed a lot of people giving us sidelong glances as they passed. "Uh, let's go somewhere more private, un," I suggested.

Soon enough, we were standing in a forest path, away from civilization. "Gee, Dei!" Ayu gushed. "I missed you sooo much!" With that, she tackled me with another hug. I pulled away, rolling my eyes. We both knew that Ayu hated me because the boy she liked liked _me_! (I know, cliché, but it happens) "I'm sure you did," I said in a bored tone. "Now kindly remove the tracking device you placed on me, un." Ayu laughed nervously. "Whaaaaaaaaat?" she asked in a high-pitched voice. "I'd never do that!" More nervous laughter.

I squinted my eyes at her. Ayu is a huge blabbermouth. I was sure she'd tell on me to the Tsuchikage. "Oh yeah, Ayu?" I asked. "Yeah?" "Who are our Jinchuuriki again?" I asked. "Roshi and Han. Why?" Ayu answered without thinking. "Where do they live?" I asked, ignoring her question. "Roshi lives in a cabin somewhere around the woods at the border. Han usually wanders, but I heard that he was gonna participate in this year's Saikyou Tournament. Why?" she asked again. Hmph. Baka.

I shrugged. "No reason," I said. Then I looked straight at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Should I get rid of her? I guess Sasori figured out what I was thinking. He'd been waiting in the background, but he now moved forward. His eyes were glassed over and his movements were mechanical. He really seemed like a brainless puppet, who knew nothing but to serve his master. I never knew Sasori was such a good actor! "Deidara-sama," he said. Sama? I like the sound of that! "Should we kill her now or later?"

He obviously asked that question to scare Ayu. It worked. Her face paled and she gulped. "K-kill?" she whimpered. "She holds our appearance and location information. It will be unsafe to let her live," Sasori continued. He looked at me meaningfully, so I knew he was actually asking me that question; he really wanted to know what I thought! He wanted my opinion before he killed my friend...or at least, he _thought_ it was my friend. It was sweet, in the way only S-Rank criminals could understand, un.

I smirked. "You're right. But killing her now would be too conspicuous since a few people saw us go in here together. We operate at night," I said. "Hai," Sasori replied humbly, walking backwards with his head bent. Damn, he's such a good actor!

Ayu's face was blue and her sweat drops formed a puddle at her feet. "K-kill?" she stammered. She took a step back She'd never been a match for me, and she knew that. "You're joking, right?" I smirked. "Maybe I was a joker when I was still here in Iwagakure. Though I can't say for sure if things are still like that..."

"Oh, uh. I just remembered! I had to, er, run some errands for my mom. Um, see ya around!" she sputtered and took off. "Look at her go," I chuckled, amused at the scene. Sasori moved beside me, also watching the scene. "Are we really going to kill her?" he asked. "She's a blabbermouth so we probably should..." I said. "But no, I think we should let her live," I concluded. Sasori narrowed those big brown eyes of his. He knew why I didn't want to get rid of her: weakness. Though we weren't really big fans of each other, I wasn't ready to lose _another_ piece from my past, no matter how much I seemed to run away from it.

But Sasori didn't mention it at all. Instead he asked "Why do you like doing things that will surely lead to your demise?" with his usual sigh. I smiled thankfully at him. "Because it keeps things interesting!"

* * *

Sasori and I headed towards the Saikyou Tournament arena the next day. I briefly wondered why Han was participating this year. He was usually so...antisocial. It turns out he wasn't a contestant, he was security. I, the Master of Disguise and Trickery, sent him to an isolated area. Sasori appeared out of nowhere and challenged him to a duel, pretending to be a young dreamer or something. Han, of course, refused. But Sasori attacked him first, so Han had no choice but to fight back. Sasori pushed him into a corner, so Han had to go into Bijuu mode. Five tails. Report complete!

"One left!" I cheered as we left the arena. Finally, this year-long mission was coming to an end! Sasori suddenly stopped. Raising his hand, chakra threads shot out and attached themselves to me. "Ittai-" I began, but Sasori turned me upside-down and shook me till I was dizzy. More chakra threads searched my body. "Hey! That tickles!"I giggle-yelled. Finally, Sasori dropped me. "What was that about?" I demanded, face flushed.

Sasori disappeared from my sight and suddenly reappeared, holding a kunai to a man's neck. "He was following us," Sasori told me. "It seems that Ayu attached a tracking device to you. I got rid of it though." "Yappari," I said, remembering the time Ayu hugged me. "That idiot," I growled. On top of that, this dude was following me and I didn't know! It pissed me off, un.

"What should I do with him, Deidara-sama?" Sasori asked, moving the kunai closer to the hostage's neck. Still in character, eh? "Your choice," I said, waving my hand. Sasori's eyes flashed and he smirked. "He has quite a special Kekkei Genkai. He would make a good puppet," he said in a dangerously low voice. I scoffed. "What's a puppet doing with a puppet?"

 **Time skip**

Later on, Sasori and I were on our way to Roshi's house. "Someone's coming," I said suddenly. Before we could make a move, Iwa-nin surrounded us.

 **That's it for now! Hope it was okay. Please comment!**


	20. Chapter 20: Encounter

**Special thanks to ai for all your wonderful comments! The rest of you should** _ **please**_ **comment too! Ikimashō!**

Chapter Twenty: Encounter

"Shimatta!" I cursed."They were here waiting for us," Sasori hissed beside me. "Do your creepy puppet act thing," I commanded. He was _so_ going to get me for that later.

"Long time, no see, Deidara-neechan!" a female voice crooned. "Kurotsuchi," I greeted with a smirk. "I see you remained faithful to the old geezer. Hasn't he retired yet?" Kurotsuchi scowled at me. "Today is payback day," she said, cracking her knuckles. "But first, what do you need with our Jinchuuriki?"

I shrugged. "I see Ayu didn't keep her mouth shut. Nothing really, actually. I'm just wandering and-" "Fuzakeruna!" Kuroshitsuji interrupted. "Han-san was attacked by your crazy puppet! And this is the only way to Roshi's house! We were here waiting for you, and there's no escaping me! It's not like you've got much choice in the matter, so tell me, what are you planning?" "Ara ara," I tsked. "It's not like you're gonna release me if I tell you, so what's the use, un?" "Temee..." Kurotsuchi growled. "Well, it won't hurt to tell you. I'm planning to have lunch. I miss Iwagakure food. It's been so long, like, three years?"

An anime vein popped on Kurotsuchi's forehead. She pointed a finger at me. "Capture her!" she told her cronies. "If you can!" I cackled.

Clay bats dropped from my cloak and flew at the shinobi surrounding me. "Doton: Doryūheki!"they chorused, and my art was effectively eluded. "Doton: Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu!" came another chorus, and I dodged just in time. Sasori stood, watching. I didn't hear the next chorus, but before I knew it, they were spitting rocks at me. I dodged each boulder without breaking a sweat, but the second my feet touched the ground, they were stuck. Cement! When did they set that up?

"Nantekotta!" I gasped, trying to free myself. I suddenly noticed a shadow looming above me. Looking up, I saw a giant boulder floating above my head. I furtively formed a hand seal before the boulder slammed down on me. The last thing I saw was Sasori's eyes widen. Then everything went black.

Gotcha! I use my clay bombs and bakuton so much that those idiots forgot that I was an earth style user too. I remained hidden underground, while the clueless idiots above ground probably thought I was unconscious under their boulder. I could escape now if I wanted to, but I couldn't leave Sasori behind. Plus, I'm sure there was a sensory type among them who was making sure I stayed put. Straining my ears, I listened for Kurotsuchi's voice.

"Yatta!" she cheered. "I'm going to get reinforcements to help us take her in. She's a sneaky one, my nee-chan. I finally got her! I can't wait to tell the old man! Zaji! Batsu! Mabuchi! Futa! You guys stay here and guard the prisoner. Chibaku and Hasa, you two follow me! The rest of you can leave. Thanks for coming on such short notice!"

"What about her puppet?" somebody asked. "Look at him, he's useless. He probably can't make a move without his master. Guard him with Deidara-nee. We may have some use for him later on," Kurotsuchi said. I could imagine Sasori shaking with anger, planning the most painful ways to torture me. I shuddered.

I heard footsteps leaving. Then silence. Then sliding metal, groans and thumps. My guess is that the guys Kurotsuchi left with us tried to restrain Sasori and he attacked. The rock above me moved and light shone into my little hole. "Deidara! Daijoubu desu ka?" a panicked Sasori asked. I had expected him to be mad at me, but he actually looked worried. For some unknown reason, I felt something tug at my heartstrings as I smiled up at my partner. "Fine and dandy!" I declared. I pointed a thumb at myself. "If they couldn't put a scratch on me then, how could they now, un?" Sasori let out a sigh of relief, then rolled his eyes before helping me out of the hole I'd made. Is it me, or was that totally OOC for Sasori?

"By the way, Sasori no Danna, you seemed rather worried," I cooed. Sasori blinked, then averted his eyes. "Whatever," he mumbled. I looked around. Four men –most likely Zaji, Batsu, Mabuchi and Futa- were sprawled on the floor in uncomfortable positions. "They're out cold," I observed. "Effects of my poison," Sasori said. "If they don't get the right treatment, they'll die in a week's time." "Aww. I knew Mabuchi. He was a cool guy. I'm gonna miss him, un," I fake-sniffed.

"Let's go," Sasori said. "They'll be back soon. We have to find another way to get to Roshi." "Sure," I agreed, and in a flash, we were gone.

"Well that was a piece of cake," I said later that evening. "That's probably because you didn't do anything," Sasori deadpanned. "Too bad that cabin caught on fire though," I added, ignoring him. Sasori rolled his eyes ( _why_ is he always doing that?!) and said "Gaki da." Ouch. "I'm not a brat, Danna!" I whined, aware that I was being a walking, talking oxymoron. Sasori was clearly not in the mood. "Urusai," he snapped. "Ita, Sasori no Danna," I sniffed. "Too bad," Sasori said with a tone of finality.

I sighed, then straightened up. Sasori was always so cold. "You haven't sent the report to Pain yet," I reminded. "Oh yeah," Sasori said. Holding out his hand, a scroll appeared with a puff of smoke. "I'll write it this time," I offered. After sending the scroll to Pain, I asked "Where are we going now?" Sasori shrugged. "Why don't you go back to your little sister. She might be willing to forgive you," he suggested nonchalantly. "Baka! Don't even joke about that. And Kurotsuchi isn't my little sister!" I fumed. Sasori rolled his eyes.

We moved in silence until I couldn't bear it any longer. "Well, I suggest you go to your puppet workshop and sell a hundred puppets!" I declared suddenly. "Why would I need to do that?" Sasori asked, cocking his head at me. He had no idea how adorable he looked doing th- _focus Deidara!_ "To get money, of course!" I smirked, trying to ignore his huge, brown eyes on me. Seriously, it felt like he was trying to peep into my soul!

"What could I possibly need money for?" he asked. I smirked. "My sixteenth birthday is next month."

 **Shimatta- Shit! Dammit!**

 **Fuzakeruna- Don't mess with me!**

 **Doton: Doryūheki- Earth Style: Mud Wall**

 **Doton: Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu- Earth Style: Mud Wave**

 **Nantekotta- what the-?**

 **Bakuton- Explosion Release (Deidara's Kekkei Genkai)**

 **Sorry for this super-long AN, and thanks for following Orange. But please comment, it means a lot to me!**


	21. Chapter 21: Sweet Sixteen (Smash Up)

**I realize that so far, this seems like a bunch of random chapter put together. It isn't. Hold on a little bit more, and you'll see where the plot is in all this "mumbo." This chapter though is a filler. Note that houki means sweet sixteen!**

Chapter Twenty-One: Sweet Sixteen (Smash Up)

 _Geijutsu wa bakuhatsu da!_

Sweet sixteen-s are also a bang! Today is May 5th, the day the mother I never met gave birth to me. Usually, on this particular day, the old man, Kurotsuchi, Ayu and the rest of my friends from Iwagakure would come together and try to do something to make me happy. After I abandoned the village though, myu birthdays were quite lonely. My fifteenth birthday last year was spent with Hidan. I didn't actually bother telling them though, un.

This time, though, is different. I'm determined to make my partner come out of his shell (not literally though), so I got Sasori to take me out for lunch. I ended up eating alone, but it was so worth it. "Kocchi wa oicii!" I squealed with delight. "Amai! Kekkou! Genkiuma!" "Ugh," Sasori said in disgust, watching me stuff my face. There were about 20 plates of a variety of foods set out on the table in front of me. Who would've guessed the amount of cash Sasori is swimming in?

I glanced at Sasori out of the corner of my eye. He was supposed to be disgusted, but instead he watched me with a content look on his face. This guy couldn't get any weirder. I guess I glanced at him too long because he caught my eyes and narrowed his. I only grinned at him. "Ya know, Danna," I mumbled, fighting with a piece of incredibly chewy meat. "You're always acting all mean and stuff, but inside, you're a big softie, aren't you?" Sasori scoffed and looked away.

I drained a glass of I-don't-know-what-but-it's-delicious. "I'm sure you'd be the type to have a change of heart if someone gave you some sort of motivational speech or something, un," I added. "Gaki," Sasori said flatly. He was clearly not in the mood to argue. "My Danna is a red-headed teddy bear!" I sang. Sasori turned to face me. "Shut up or I'll kill you," he said. How does that sound coming from a seemingly 15 year old boy with ridiculously large brown eyes? Not very threatening.

"It'd be easier to kill _you_ with that big fat weakness on your chest!" I scoffed. Sasori narrowed his eyes again. "This is my strongest form. It isn't as easy as you think," he stated. "Your _strongest form_ shouldn't have such an obvious weakness, un." Sasori turned back around. "Enough. Eat." Yeah, definitely not in the mood to argue.

Harrumphing, I turned back to my food, when a sudden questioned popped into my head. "Hey Danna," I asked softly. "Nani," Sasori asked, still ot looking at me. "Can you return to your normal body if you wanted to?" I dared to ask. Sasori didn't react in the way I'd expected him to. In fact, he didn't react at all. "What a strange question. As expected of a girl like you," he mused. He didn't answer the question. Sighing, I returned to my food. Wow, this place's food is awesome! Sasori blinked. "Akatsuki meeting," he said suddenly. "Huh? Right now?" I exclaimed. "I didn't even get to have cake yet!" I whined as I drained another glass of an unknown drink.

Sasori didn't even wait for me, so I jumped up and hurried after him. "How come _you_ always get the alert and not me? How do you even get the alert anyway, un?" I demanded as I struggled to keep up with him. He _really_ doesn't like to keep people waiting. "Hurry up," Sasori hissed, completely ignoring my questions. We retreated from 'civilization' into a small glade surrounded by trees. Since we didn't know who could storm in here at any time, Sasori activated a small barrier jutsu then took his place on the floor beside me. Shortly after, I opened my eyes in the normal Akatsuki meeting place. It still weirds me out, so I tried not to notice the weird statue thing with ten eyes.

"Omae!" I said, pointing an accusing finger at the hologram of Pain. "What's the big idea?! You just interrupted my birthday meal!" "Baka," Hidan said, disguising it with a cough. "I have missions for you," Pain replied calmly. Oh, I hate it when the guys in this organization act all calm, cool and collected, un. "Why don't you send a bird like you used to?" I demanded. "The last bird I sent almost fell into enemy hands. We can't risk that again." The thing is, we don't even _know_ who the enemy is. We don't even know the purpose of this whole freakin' Akatsuki!

Pain could sense I wanted to say more. "Are you done?" he asked. "No way, un!" I said stubbornly, although I knew I couldn't really suddenly ask what our true purpose was. Not that it really mattered; I was bound here, anyway. I looked around at the familiar rainbow-colored faces. "Where are Itachi and that shark dude?" I finally demanded. "I sent Kisame and his partner to capture the Nine Tails," Pain said. "Doesn't Itachi's younger brother live in the same village?" Kakuzu asked. "Ooh, I'd love to see that little drama!" Hidan cackled. "Sasuke-kun is no match for Itachi. If they do clash, the battle will be over quickly," Zetsu said. "Let's get down to business already!" Sasori snapped impatiently.

"Alas, a voice of reason in the midst of chaos," Pain said. He then proceeded to give everyone their missions: Hidan and Kakuzu were sent to track down a certain secret scroll. Zetsu was asked to watch Orochimaru's movements. Then to Sasori and me, he said "You two are free." What?! That Pain is a huge pain in the neck! Why did he call us when he had nothing to tell us? "Look," I said. "Are you in love with me or something? You just wanted to see my face and hear my voice, right? Admit it, un!" Sasori face-palmed. Konan snickered (first time I've heard a sound from her). Pain looked at me quizzically. "You are a strange one," he said simply, then disappeared.

Sasori and I stood up, back in our real bodies. "In love with you?" Sasori asked, looking at me in plain awe. "He didn't deny it! That means I'm right!" I declared. "Yare yare," Sasori sighed, shaking his head. "Well, it's understandable. I'm irresistible," I continued. "And I have to admit, he is pretty cool, un. But before I can even think of accepting him, I have to meet him in real life. Sasori no Danna, do you know where Pain-sama lives?" "Oh bother," Sasori sighed.

I was annoying him, I knew. But the fact that he had bothered to do something for my birthday, no matter how small, made me feel happy and giddy inside. "No, seriously," I said. "Is it because I just turned sixteen? When we were kids, Ayu used to say that our beauty would blossom once we turned sixteen! Maybe Pain knew it was my birthday and wanted to see me _blossoming_. It makes sense. After all, he knew about my past when he sent you guys to capture me, so of course he'd know my birthday too! What do you think, Danna? Do I look any different?" I twirled in a circle for him to see, though the Akatsuki cloak isn't designed for looking attractive. "This is going to be a long, long day," Sasori sighed. "Souka(is that so)?" I asked. "Is it because it's my 16th birthday?"

"Damaru!" a voice yelled. "Houki, houki houki! That's all you've been talking about!" A man with an unshaven chin and dull, peasant clothes slouched before us. He had been watching us, waiting for a moment to attack. "You're not the only one who's turned sixteen!" he yelled. "I'm tired of waiting for you to shut up! We're robbing you!" "Tch," Sasori scoffed.

All of a sudden, a bunch of thieves dressed similar to the first one jumped out from the trees, yelling like crazy people. I licked my lips. "This is just the birthday present I need," I said, my signature smirk spreading across my face. I stuck Migi and Hidari in my clay pouches as the thieves got closer. "Ready, Danna" I asked Sasori, my grin getting wider. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

"Thanks, Sasori no Danna," I told Sasori from my bed later that night. Sometimes, Sasori doesn't work on his puppets and poisons all night. He just lies face up on the bed across from mine and stares at the ceiling until morning. "This was the funnest birthday ever, un!" "Go to sleep already," he mumbled. I couldn't see his face, but I was sure he was smiling. 

**Kocchi wa oicii- this is delicious**

 **Kekkou-Amai- sweet**

 **Genkiuma- a taste explosion**

 **Please comment you guys! Seriously, I'm getting ZERO feedback here.**


	22. Chapter 22: Shirotsuki

**Hmm, I'm later than usual. It's been nothing but tests and research papers this month. Anyway, the plot thickens...**

Chapter Twenty-Two: Shirotsuki

"De-i-da-ra..." Pain growled. "Pain..." I growled back. We stared each other down in a battle of wills. Finally, Pain looked away with a sigh. I smirked victoriously. I'm 17 now, and currently a hologram at the normal Akatsuki meeting place. The other Akatsuki members are perched upon giant stone fingers.

"Do you remember your first Akatsuki mission?" Pain asked me. "Yeah, it was to kill, uh, Ki-something Tera-something," I replied. "Kichiki Terasaka," Sasori corrected. "How did you kill him?" Pain continued. "That's easy: I blew up his house with him in it, un," I answered. "What about the information he got on the Akatsuki?" Pain asked again. "It was recorded in scrolls, in some kind of code. I blew it up too," I said, getting impatient. What was up with all these questions?

"Yappari," Pain sighed. "What?" I demanded. "That Terasaka is a smart one. How did you know that the scrolls contained Akatsuki secret information?" Pain asked. "They were in a metal box like you said. He really didn't do a good job of hiding it. It was under the kitchen sink. It was even labelled!" I answered, although the eerie feeling that something was wrong tugged at the back of my mind and crawled up my arms. "Terasaka knew that the Akatsuki were going to come after him," Pain explained. "So he transferred to another location, sending a clone to his old home every day to deceive us. He also left a decoy of the information he obtained on us. That was what you destroyed, Deidara."

I felt heat rush to my face. Shimatta! I messed up big time! "Mattaku," Sasori sighed. "The box was labelled? That was an obvious decoy!" "Only a fool like Deidara would fall for something like that," Hidan snickered. "Oh please! You're an even bigger idiot than I am!" I retorted. "You just agreed to being an idiot," Kakuzu pointed out. "Hahaha! Baaaaka!" White Zetsu cackled. "Urusai," Black Zetsu hissed at his other half. Pain cleared his throat.

"Terasaka remained in hiding all these years and was working behind the scenes," he continued. "He established a group called Shirotsuki, made up of 10 people. They're after the Jinchuuriki also. Their true purpose is unclear, but they want to prevent out Project Tsuki no Me from ever coming into being."

"Shirotsuki? Seriously? Just because we're called Red Moon, they called themselves White Moon?" I scoffed. "White isn't even the opposite of red, un!" "They could've called themselves Tasogare*, or even Tasogaredoki, if they wanted to rhyme," Sasori said, obviously also ticked that they were so _un-artistic_ in coming up with a name for themselves. "They're already totally lame in my eyes!" I declared. "What can I say? They're fans of white," Hidan grinned, patting his own white hair affectionately. "You wish!" I snorted.

"Iikagennishiro!" Pain interrupted. "You mission is to find them, and kill or capture them! They dress like us, but their cloak is dark blue with black-outlined white clouds." "Terasaka seems to be a copyshark," Kisame grinned. "Shirotsuki comprises of ninja from all the ninja countries, minus the Land of Iron," Pain finished. "This will be annoying," Kakuzu grumbled. "Well, as long as I'm allowed to turn them in for money..." "Do as you wish," Pain said.

"Jaana!" Hidan sang, disappearing with Kakuzu. Zetsu left too, followed by Itachi and Kisame. "Deidara," Pain said calmly. Jolt! Something about the way he said my name gives me the creeps! "H-hai, O great leader of the Akatsuki?" I tried, slowly turning my head to face him. "Keep in mind that this is your fault. If you don't exterminate each and every one of those Shirotsuki brats..." He didn't finish his statement, but I really didn't want to hear the rest. He and Konan disappeared.

I let out a sigh of relief. Sasori's hologram looked at me. "It's unlike you to be so submissive," he said, amused. "I'm not!" I snapped. "But did you _hear_ his voice? He meant business! I heard he took down Hanzo of the Salamander all by himself, un!" Sasori chuckled. "Scared, then?" "Dameru!" I snapped.

I opened my eyes in my real body. Sasori stared back at me. "Damn that stupid Pain," I sighed as I stood up. "Acting as if it was all my fault..." "But it is," Know-It-All Sasori stated. "It was your fault too!" I shot back. "I was a newbie then! It was your job as the more-experienced partner to guide me and make sure I did it right, un!" "Yeah, sure, co you'd let me do that," Sasori remarked coolly, raising a perfectly-shaped eyebrow at me. He got me there. Sasori's eyes are like my weakness.

We were in a "hotel" called Tokusei(meaning Deluxe), located along the border of Kusagakure (the Hidden Grass). Standing up, I went to the closet where I'd stashed my stuff. A feeling of nostalgia washed over me as my eyes rested on a familiar embroidered leather pouch, and I let out a happy sigh. Sasori peeked over my shoulder. "What's that?" he asked, obviously admiring the art on my pouch. It would last forever, after all (unless the pouch suddenly went BOOM!)

"My Juuki clay," I answered. "We're not chasing the Jinchuuriki anymore, so it's been...neglected, un." "How does it work anyway?" Sasori asked me. "Well, when we first found Yagura, I collected some of his chakra and extracted the Three Tails chakra from it," I explained. "The chakra of the Three Tails and any other Tailed Beast are quite different, of course, but I figured they should have the same chakra structure fundamentally. I created the Juuki clay by moulding Yagura's tailed beast chakra into normal clay in such a way that if it came in contact with the same chakra structure, it'd explode!"

Sasori smirked. "I'm surprised," he said, closing his eyes calmly. "What for?" I asked. "That your brain works after all." That's when I lost it and started screaming at him, reminding him that _his_ brain was made of puppet material, if it even existed at all. He laughed at my attempts to belittle him. Sasori no Danna doesn't laugh often, but when he does, it's amazing. Actually, I'm surprised too. He talks to me more often now. I don't know why, but it makes me so happy, my chest feels like it's about to explode.

When we'd finally finished erasing all traces of us ever being in this room, we set out for our new mission. Of course, the people at the hotel were Sasori's puppets also, so we didn't have to pay anything. "Where're we headed, Sasori no Danna?" I asked. "Otogakure," he answered. "Orochimaru's place?" I asked, remembering the creepy snake guy. "I have to make sure the brainwashing effects on my spy haven't been disrupted," he said. "Spy? This is the first I'm hearing of a spy, un," I remarked. "Pain asked me to keep an eye on Orochimaru. So I had a young boy by the name of Yakushi Kabuto report his every move to me," Sasori said.

"Huh," I said thoughtfully. "A random breeze blew my hair into my face, but that's not all it blew to me. I sniffed the air. "I'd recognize that aroma anywhere!" I said excitedly. "Dango!" I veered to the right, off the path Sasori and I were walking on. "Oi oi!" Sasori sighed, following me.

My nose didn't deceive me. "It's a roadside vendor gathering! There's the snacks vendor! Sasori no Danna, buy me some!" I squealed excitedly. "Why do I have to handle your feeding expenses?" Sasori growled. " _Because_ , Sasori no Danna, once it got to the Black Market that I joined a group, people stopped approaching me for jobs. But _you_ on the other hand, you make billions from selling your puppets and poison! Also, you don't even eat! Therefore, as a responsible partner, you're supposed to put your money to use and _feed me_!"

"Fine," Sasori sighed. "Yay! It's been forever!" I squealed. "I just bought you some last week," Sasori deadpanned. "Really?" I paused, trying to remember. Sasori rolled his eyes and pushed his hand into his hair, as if wondering why the hell he got stuck with me as a partner. He left and came back with a plastic bag full of sweet dumplings on a stick. Yay!  
We were back on the road, and I chewed the delicacy happily, thinking about how much I wanted some bakudan right now. We camped out in the woods and continued our journey the next day. We had our usual argument about the meaning of true art. Suddenly, I sensed the presence of bloodlust behind me. "Sasori no Danna, duck!" I yelled as a sword flew towards his head. He ducked, not losing so much as a hair. A tall blond figure flew over my head to retrieve the sword. Then the figure turned to face me. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"I-Isogi? But how? You're supposed to be dead!"

 ***Tasogare and Tasogaredoki mean the same thing: dusk. Akatsuki as one word means "dawn" or "daybreak". I think that's the original meaning Yahiko had thought of, meaning the daybreak of peace when wars will end. Then it becomes a pun when Madara takes over. Aka(red) and tsuki(moon), making it red moon. Therefore, Terasaka could've named his group Tasogare(dusk), the opposite of Akatsuki(dawn).**

 **Iikagennishiro-anime watchers should be used to this word, which is used to tell people to shut up and listen.**

 **That was a major time skip, huh? Last chapter, she was 16, and now she's suddenly 17?! And who is this Isogi?**


	23. Chapter 23: Isogi

**My computer broke down for a while, but it's all fixed now. Please enjoy the next chapter.**

Chapter Twenty-Three: Isogi

I looked at the figure standing before me: white-blond hair and shocking green eyes on a face that still made me feel all mushy inside. No doubt about it, this was my old friend Isogi. "You know him?" Sasori asked. "Yeah. But I'd heard he'd been killed. No, I saw it with my own eyes," I said, still flabbergasted at the sight before me.

"Sashiburi-ne, Dei-chan! Quite the talented liar, I see. _As always,_ " crooned a feminine voice practically dripping of honey. The last statement, though, was filled with acid. I'd recognize that voice anywhere! Looking up, I saw Ayu **(remember her?)** balancing on the branched of the tree above us. She was wearing a strangely-familiar dark blue cloak. Shirotsuki!

"You called the redhead 'Master' **(see last chapter)** just now, instead of the other way around. He isn't really your puppet, is he?" she smirked. I smirked right back- no way is _she_ beating me at me signature look! "Took you long enough to figure it out, un! Sasori no Danna is just a really good actor!" Ayu rolled her violet eyes in my direction. "Listen, Ayu. It's been great seeing you and all, but we really have to go. I mean, I'm supposed to kill you here and now, seeing as you're obviously a Shitotsuki member, but we're kind of in a rush here, un." I was rambling, but I kept my eyes on the green-eyed blond boy watching us from a safe distance.

Ayu noticed my gaze and nodded in his direction. "Aah. I see you've met Isogi," she said. I narrowed my eyes at her. "I knew it! But how? I thought he died..." Ayu grinned widely, a hysterical glint in her eyes. "Seishi: Fushi Ningyou no Jutsu! **(Life and Death: Undead Puppet Technique)** " "Huh?" I asked, a giant question mark hovering over my head? Ayu grinned wider.

"Well, I don't blame you for having never heard of it. After all, I developed it myself!" she bragged. "It's really a very simple technique, ya know. Should I explain?" She didn't wait for me to answer. "All I need is a puppet that looks like the person I want to resurrect. Then I summon the soul of said person and sap some of its spiritual energy. I then seal the energy into the puppet, thus reincarnating the person! The puppet is replaced with real flesh and real blood, along with the abilities of the person." She seemed really proud of herself, while I just stared at her. "Unfortunately, the resurrected wouldn't have a personality nor remember anything about his or her life, knowing only the person who resurrected him or her. If I wanted the personality retained, I'd have to seal the whole soul, not just a tiny portion of spiritual energy. I'd also need a living host instead of a puppet. Not to mention, it's really tough to do!"

Ayu flipped her stiff purple hair over her shoulder. "Sooo? Whaddya think? Genius, right?" "Right," I said sarcastically. "So while you're revealing all the secrets of your jutsu, do you think you could tell us how to defeat it too?" Ayu smiled a sickly sweet smile. "Aww, that's cute. Let me think... _NO_!" In what way was that _cute_? "Why would you do that to Isogi though? He was your friend!"

Lemme explain. Actually _we_ were friends. We grew up together: me, Ayu, Isogi and Kurotsuchi trained under the Tsuchikage (Kurotsuchi was younger, and she used to call me 'nee-chan'). Isogi was the only boy, and he apparently really liked me, and was always following me around. He kinda rubbed off on me, and I got used to having him around. Ayu was furious though. It was like one of those (absolutely ridiculous) love triangles. She desperately tried to beat me, constantly challenging me to duels she never won. She even went as far as copying my signature hairstyle (which she soon abandoned cos she couldn't pull it off with her stiff hair).

Anyway, back to the present. "That's why I want to keep him with me forever," Ayu sighed like a love-struck idiot. "Isogi wouldn't like that, un," I sighed, getting annoyed at this crazy chick. "Why not?" Ayu grinned madly. "I'm helping him get revenge on the one that killed him, YOU!" I sighed. She really had gone crazy. "I'm not the one that killed Isogi, Ayu. Why would I want to?" I said, exasperated.

"Yare yare, naive little Dei-chan. You don't know the truth, do you?" Ayu chuckled. Her voice made my skin crawl. "Isogi-kun died...because he was chasing after you." She said it with such disdain and contempt that I subconsciously took a step back. "Isogi couldn't believe that you'd abandon us, so he left the village to chase after you. He said that if he couldn't convince you to come back, he'd join you. I tried to stop him, but he was so smitten by you, he stopped listening to reason. I knew you were bound to get him into some sort of trouble, so after a while, I decided to follow him too. But, on my way to meet him, I found him already dead. His corpse was lying in the middle of the road, raw and bloodied, waiting for me."

Now Ayu fell to her knees, shaking the branch she was on. She clutched her heart and tears poured freely down her face. In truth, a small part of me wanted to cry too. If he'd caught up with me, I'd have happily let him tag along. I willed my voice not to break as I said, "I wasn't the one that killed him, un." Ayu sniffed and stood up. "Of course not. All alone, you wouldn't have the gall to kill the one person who came after you. "The villagers said it was two men in black cloaks that attacked him. Now that I see you, a member of the Akatsuki, it all makes sense. The Akatsuki has their eyes on you from the beginning. They saw that Isogi had a huge chance of convincing you to come back home. They didn't want any interference, so they eliminated him."

My eyes widened and I looked at Sasori a few feet behind me for confirmation. He avoided my eyes. I looked back at Ayu. "So, for the honor of the fallen Isogi, I will kill you, along with the rest of the Akatsuki. You don't know how elated I was to join the Shirotsuki!" She started giggling.

Sasori apparently lost patience with her and raised his hand, attempting to release one of his puppets. However, silver ropes sprang out of the ground and wrapped themselves around him. "Not so fast, cutie! Ayu giggled drunkenly. "Those ropes aren't ordinary. They cling to living cells and never let go...unless I command them to." Living cells, eh? If that was the case, Sasori could easily escape. I looked at him, my eyes asking him to play along. I needed to settle this on my own, un.

Sasori read the look in my eyes and sighed, muttering something under his breath. "Hurry up. I'd like to meet Kabuto before tomorrow afternoon," he finally said. I smiled my thanks.

Ayu shook in anger. "'Hurry _up_?' As if you can finish me so easily? How dare you underestimate me? You'll pay for that!" she screamed and lunged at me.

 **So how'd you guys like my little twist? Stay tuned.**

 **PS, do you think it'd be weird of Deidara cried? I know he/she usually has this proud, arrogant air and never shows weakness, but she's still a girl in this! What would be your reaction if she cried? Do tell!**


	24. Chapter 24: Saved

**Hey, people! Sorry I'm late. I had all of last week off, but I was feeling lazy XD.**

Chapter Twenty-Four: Saved

I dodged her easily. She lunged again and again. I kept on dodging. She was unstable, like she was drunk, and she looked really drowsy. That didn't keep her from being dangerous though. She and Isogi were attacking simultaneously. I dodged Ayu's fireball jutsu (when did she start using firestyle?!), but she collapsed immediately after. Isogi covered up though as he attacked me with his sword. Apart from that, he used earth style and water style.

He got me trapped in his cement floor but I escaped with my explosions. He quickly followed up with a frontal katana assault and I dodged in a nick of time. I barely had time to breathe. He was keeping me on defensive and pushing me into a corner. Suddenly, my back was pressed against a tree. "Need help, Deidara?" Sasori sung from where he was. No way I'd give in to him: I'd never hear the end of it later!

Isogi raised his sword for the final strike, but ended up slashing a random log of wood. He looked around confused.

To think I'd have to settle for _ninja_ techniques! I'd long abandoned the Replacement Technique, but it was either that or get turned into chopped liver, un. I released the clay bats in my hands and they flew to Isogi, swarming aound his head, blocking his field of vision. "Katsu!" Aah, the fireworks.

As expected, Isogi managed to deflect the bombs, but the bombs had given me enough time to appear behind him and seize his sword. He whipped around, ready to pound me, but I effectively dodged and retreated into the trees. I'm not a short-range fighter, in case you haven't noticed.

In the safety of the trees, I was able to re-grow my trusty clay bird and jump on its back, flying into the sky. There's no way Isogi can get me up here! Pinpointing Isogi's location, I released numerous clay spiders. He didn't notice them on time and they attached themselves firmly to Isogi's body. I raised two fingers to my lips, ready to end this, but Isogi was faster. Ignoring the clay sculptures on his body, he pounded his palms on the floor, raising a giant earthen extrusion which hit my bird, knocking me out of the sky.

I flipped in midair and managed to land on my feet in a squatting position. I'd landed beside the now-mobile Ayu who held a kunai to my neck. I froze, keeping my eyes on Isogi's rock extrusion. "Sugoi deshou?" Ayu crowed. I narrowed my eyes (er...eye), then smirked. "What's wrong with you, Ayu?" I asked. "Nani?" she asked, confused. "You collapsed. You're giggly, not that that's new though, but you seem tipsy. You're acting weird..." I narrowed my eye(s) again. "Did Tora finally succeed in getting you to drink with him?"

Ayu giggled. Still holding the kunai with her right hand, she picked up Isogi's fallen sword and played with it. "No, far from it, actually," she said. "With Isogi gone, I was horribly lonely. I shut myself off from society. I stopped talking, stopped eating, stopped sleeping. No one could do anything about it." She paused, as of the memories hurt. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. Ayu was always looking for pity. She wasn't the only one who didn't know her parents or lost someone dear.

"One day, I went to Isogi's grave," Ayu continued. "I met a man there. He was some kind of scientist. He promised to help me find meaning in life once more if I followed him. So I did. He experimented on me, gave me the ultimate body, strengthened and enhanced. However, many of the drugs were prototypes and incomplete with side effects. Every now and then, I collapse and fall into a deep slumber. Sometimes I feel giddy for no reason. I take medicine everyday to keep it at bay so I can retain normalness for a longer period." Trying to neutralize drugs with _more_ drugs. _Smart_. "Anyway, I ran out of takana (leaf mustard) for the medicine and I came out here to find it. And who did I meet here? Why, the person that caused all this, that's who!" she laughed as if that was the funniest thing in the world.

When she finally cooled down, she continued. "Well, after six months, I said goodbye to the man and returned to Iwa, and waited for my destiny to call." She flipped her purple hair. "And guess who came barging in like she owned the place? Guess! Guess!" She burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, and I was disgusted. Her grip on her kunai loosened considerably.

"Well that was a touching story, un," I said. "Too bad, that happy ending isn't coming any time soon!" I kicked the kunai out of her hands, then kicked her across the stomach. She fell to the floor and Isogi tried to attack me. "Too slow! Katsu!" I yelled, and ducked for cover. While Ayu was talking, I slipped more clay spiders to Isogi, who didn't notice. There were at least 20 pieces of my art on him and they just kept on exploding. And exploding. And exploding.

I opened my eyes. Gone was the Isogi I knew and in his place, charred puppet remains. A light breeze chose that moment to blow and I looked up. I could almost feel Isogi's soul thanking me for releasing him, telling me that he still loved me no matter what, and reach out and hug me. But that could've just been my imagination.

Ayu was blubbering like a baby. "I-Iso...gi...kun. N-no. B-but, I you, she-" she burst into tears, which soon turned angry. "You! It's _your_ fault! Because of you, Isogi-kun...I've lost Isogi-kun twice!" She charged towards me, Isogi's sword in hand. Before I could even react, she was directly in front of me. "Hayaku!" I managed to mutter before a blow from her sent me flying backwards. She appeared behind me and kicked me forward. She was in front of me again, sword held straight out. I wouldn't be able to dodge this time. I shut my eyes tightly.

But the blow never came. Opening my eyes tentatively, I saw Ayu flat on her face on the floor. I collapsed in front of her in relief. I owed those drug effects my life, un! Then I noticed something shiny sticking out of her neck. It was a needle, and a drop of purple liquid was visible at its tip. _Sasori's needle_. I turned to see Sasori standing behind me, hand outstretched, index finger still pointing at Ayu's crumpled form.

I glared at him. "I thought I told you to-" "Let you die?!" Sasori interrupted. His face still showed his usual uninterested face, but his voice betrayed the fact that he was absolutely furious. "Let's go. Kabuto is waiting." Without a word, he turned around and began walking away. Stunned, I scrambled to my feet and followed him. "She'll wake," Sasori said, answering my unspoken question. "But the poison will kill her in a day."

* * *

 **Hayaku- it means fast.**

 **So that's it for this chapter, but not the Shirotsuki arc. So are you happy that Ayu died? Or not? Do tell!**


	25. Chapter 25: So We Meet Again

**Sorry guys. I've been slacking off XD**

Chapter Twenty-Five: So We Meet Again

Kabuto was one weird fella, and I'm not just talking about his name (seriously though, who'd name their kid "helmet"?). He had long, white hair and made pulling off the "hot geek look" look easy. I didn't get to talk to him though, as Sasori made me stand at least 60 miles away from them. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but they were talking really quietly. Well, not strange for someone like the ever-mysterious Sasori.

I looked down at the worn red cloak Sasori made me wear. He said that everyone in Oto was one of Orochimaru's cronies. If it got to him that Akatsuki members were doing some snooping in his land, being the clever man he was, he would suspect that there was a spy among his men. "Orochimaru wouldn't mind killing all his current men and recruiting new ones. That's how careful and utterly insane he is," Sasori had told me. Yikes! Talk about paranoid, un.

"Let's go," Sasori said gruffly, walking past me. Huh? I looked up. Kabuto was gone. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to have noticed. You guessed it...my mind was still on Isogi and Ayu. The nstatement Ayu made about men in black was on my mind and Sasori's reluctance to meet my eyes at that particular moment was really bothering me. I quickened my steps to catch up with my partner. He was in that dreadful Hiruko again. Ugh.

"Danna?" I asked nervously. Wait, why am I nervous? Deidara is always smart, confident and cool! I gave myself a mental smack. "Nanda?" Sasori's gruff voice interrupted my spiritual punishment. My nervousness suddenly returned and I started stuttering. "Well, uh, I , uh, um, you see, I , she-" "Spit it out!" Sasori interjected. I took a deep breath. "Is what Ayu said really true? Did we- I mean, did the Akatsuki kill Isogi?"

I could feel Sasori's anger melt away and fade into another emotion I couldn't really pinpoint. Fear? Sadness? Regret? Wait a second...I can sense his feelings now?! He has feelings?!

Sasori let out a sigh. "I'm not really sure. I never heard an order like that. I only became involved with you a week before you joined the Akatsuki. But Itachi and Kisame may have..." he trailed off. My fists clenched at my sides. Itachi again! Why'd he have to kill Sogi? We could've both joined the Akatsuki! "I'm not saying he did!" Sasori said suddenly. "However, Itachi and Kisame have been on your case quite longer than I have."

Sasori peered at me suspiciously (which means that Hiruko's eyes looked more human than normal). "Who was that boy to you?" he asked, surprising me. Sasori no Danna never showed any interest in my life. I expected him to realize his slip-up and mutter a quick excuse, flustered. But he was surprisingly calm. Or angry. You could never tell with Hiruko.

"Isogi and I grew up together. We never knew our parents, so we had a lot in common. He always said he 'admired my strength and confidence', but I was jealous of the same qualities in him. I used to call him Sogi, and he hated it, but I was the only one allowed to call him that. We were really close...really..." I trailed off. We had reached our rest stop, with Sasori's brainwashed puppets waiting to serve us. Okay, I'm not sure they were really brainwashed, but it was weird that no matter where we went, there were always people expecting us with free food and free rooms.

I t was already evening. The Ayu encounter had happened yesterday. Sasori went straight to work while I took the liberty of serving myself to an all-you-can-eat buffet. When night fell, I headed into our room, ready to sleep. Sasori completely ignored me while I changed into my new black and red pajamas. I sat on Sasori's bed and watched him attach tiny fingers to puppet hands.

"You're so boring, Sasori no Danna!" I whined. He scoffed, though there was something playful in his voice. Kind of like Isogi, when he'd pretend to be all cool and macho, just cos I was looking.

Staring down at my lap, I realized that Isogi always wore black and red. I couldn't take it anymore; I burst into tears. Not silent sobs, but loud, obnoxious, heart-breaking weeping, accompanied with hiccupping. I willed myself to stop. Geez, I don't cry! Especially not in front of Sasori! After what felt like hours, I finally calmed down. "Gomen, Sasori no Danna," I sniffed, wiping furiously at my eyes.

"I understand," Sasori said plainly. "Sometimes, emotions have to be released, because nothing can stay locked up forever. It's normal." I smiled up at him, slightly surprised. "For females," Sasori finished.

"EHHHH?! Nanikure?! What the heck is that supposed to mean, Sasori no Danna!" I fumed, instantly forgetting my sorrow. "I knew something was wrong when you suddenly became understanding! Tch! Whaddya mean _for females_? So you're a sexist now?"  
Sasori's face visibly blanched at my last statement and he sweat-dropped. "Oi, oi, now that's going too far, don't you think?" I folded my arms. "You started it, un," I declared. "If I remember correctly, I wasn't the one crying about my boyfriend," Sasori scoffed. I reddened. "Hey! Emotions are human! And he's _not_ my boyfriend!"

* * *

The next morning, we set out, Sasori in his redheaded form, wearing our Akatsuki cloaks. He also made me wear that unattractive straw hat (Though it actually proved quite useful when we passed a small desert). It was now early noon, and we were in a dense forest near the Land of Lightening. Someone was following us.

"Deidara," Sasori said. "Wakata, un." I had a bomb ready. Just as I was about to throw it to lure the spy out, two short swords whizzed towards us outta nowhere! Sasori was quick enough to dodge, but I barely avoided the one headed towards me, and it took my hat off. The attacker showed himself and I could barely believe my eyes. Apparently, neither did he.

"A-Aoi-chan?" the bewildered raven-haired boy stammered.

"Katsu?"

...

 **Anybody remember Katsu? From chapter 2? Anybody? Nobody? Really?**

 **(P.S The next chapter will not be very long. Fair warning)**


	26. IMPORTANT! MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS!

Hello everyone! Soranaru here! Sorry, I haven't updated in almost two months! My finals were coming up so I had no choice but to take a break and do nothing but study.

I'm back for good now but I have important news: I'm leaving . Hold up, that doesn't mean that I'm leaving my stories at cliffhangers! I'll continue updating them on Quotev!

Fanfiction-dot-net is not convenient for me at all. First of all, I can't add pictures or links. Nobody ever comments. It is near impossible to get views and stuff. And it is so dang DULL! So yeah, I'm done with it.

If you wanna find out what happened next in this story, go to and type "Soranaru" in the search bar. My profile will come up and you can click "Published" to see my stories.

So yeah, this is goodbye everyone! Thanks for not un-following my stories when you had the chance! I look forward to seeing you all on Quotev too! Bye!


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